Bayhill Therapeutics Announces Presentation of MS Drug Candidate BHT-3009 at American...

Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:44pm EDT

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Bayhill Therapeutics Announces Presentation of MS Drug Candidate BHT-3009 at American Academy of Neurology 60th Annual Meeting

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Bayhill Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company leveraging its proprietary therapeutic BHT-DNA(TM) platform to
develop novel and targeted autoimmune disease treatment candidates,
today announced that the Company's co-founder and Vice President of
Research, Hideki Garren, M.D., Ph.D., will present at the American
Academy of Neurology 60th Annual Meeting (AAN) in Chicago. Dr.
Garren's podium presentation will discuss Bayhill's lead product
candidate BHT-3009 in relation to an abstract (#857) entitled "Results
from a Phase 2 Trial of a Myelin Basic Protein Encoding DNA Vaccine
for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis" at session S22: "Multiple Sclerosis:
Clinical Trials III" on Wednesday, April 16 at 2:30 PM central time at
McCormick Place West Convention Center, Chicago, IL.

Please note, the details of the abstract remain under embargo
until the commencement of Dr. Garren's presentation at the conference.
Bayhill Therapeutics will provide additional details at that time.

About BHT-3009 an Investigational Product

BHT-3009 is an antigen-specific plasmid encoding myelin basic
protein (MBP) that has the potential to gain a significant share of
the multi-billion dollar MS market as an effective treatment with
limited side effects and a superior administration profile. Early
clinical data suggests that BHT-3009 reprograms the immune system to
tolerize to, rather than attack, the MBP in the myelin sheath of the
central nervous system of MS patients. In particular, data from two
completed placebo-controlled clinical trials signaled BHT-3009's
potential to treat Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR-MS)
patients with high levels of immune activity, with a safety profile
similar to placebo.

About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the immune
system's attack on specific self-antigens, such as myelin basic
protein (MBP) present in the myelin sheath of the central nervous
system. This attack on self-antigens leads to the onset of MS, which
is characterized by symptoms of numbness, lack of coordination,
blindness and paralysis.

According to an article published in The New England Journal of
Medicine in 2006, MS is the most common non-traumatic cause of
disability in young adults in the United States and Europe. According
to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) an estimated 400,000
people in the United States have MS, while more than two million
people are afflicted worldwide.

About Bayhill Therapeutics

Bayhill Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
leveraging its proprietary therapeutic BHT-DNA(TM) platform to develop
a pipeline of novel and targeted treatment candidates for autoimmune
diseases. The Company's product candidates are designed to restore the
immune system to its normal state known as "tolerance," by selectively
eliminating specific, harmful immune responses while leaving the rest
of the immune system intact. The Company has two lead products in the
clinic based on BHT-DNA(TM) that have demonstrated positive safety and
tolerability, in addition to preliminary efficacy. The first product
candidate, BHT-3009, was the subject of a completed Phase II trial for
multiple sclerosis (MS). The second product candidate, BHT-3021, is
currently in a Phase I/II trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D). More
information about Bayhill Therapeutics is available at
www.bayhilltx.com.

Bayhill Therapeutics, Inc.
Mark W. Schwartz, Ph.D, President/CEO, 650-320-2800
mwschwartz@bayhilltx.com
Fred Kurland, Chief Financial Officer, 650-320-2800
fkurland@bayhilltx.com
or
The Ruth Group
Sara Ephraim, 646-536-7002 (Investors)
sephraim@theruthgroup.com
Janine McCargo, 646-536-7033 (Media)
jmccargo@theruthgroup.com