Alder Biopharmaceuticals Announces That Data From Multiple Studies of ALD518 (BMS945429), an Investigational Antibody Therapeutic in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, to be Presented at Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology

ATLANTA, Nov. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that data from two clinical studies of its ALD518 investigational antibody therapeutic will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Atlanta.

"We continue to be encouraged about the clinical data from the Phase 2a study of the IV formulation of ALD518, and, for the first time, from our Phase 1 study of the subcutaneous formulation of ALD518," said Randall Schatzman, president and chief executive officer of Alder Biopharmaceuticals.

Data from the Phase 2a clinical study of ALD518 in rheumatoid arthritis patients will be delivered by Philip Mease, M.D., investigator at the Swedish Hospital Clinical Research Division in Seattle, in a presentation titled "ALD518 (BMS945429), a High Affinity Monoclonal Antibody Directed Against Interleukin-6, Reduces Disease Activity and Achieves Remission in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inadequate Response to Methotrexate." The presentation will be delivered at 4:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday Nov. 10, in the abstract session titled "Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment - Small Molecules, Biologics and Gene Therapy: Novel Compounds III."

Data from a Phase 1 clinical study of a subcutaneous formulation of ALD518 will be presented in a poster titled "Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of ALD518 (BMS-945429), a High-Affinity Monoclonal Antibody Directed Against Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Administered by Subcutaneous Injection: A Phase I Trial." The poster, 1124, will be presented by Sepehr Shakib, M.D., director of pharmacology at Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, Australia, in poster session B.

In addition, data evaluating health-related quality of life of patients in a Phase 2a study of ALD518 will be presented in a poster titled "ALD518 (BMS945429), a High-Affinity Anti-Interleukin-6 Monoclonal Antibody, Provides Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and an Inadequate Response to Methotrexate." The poster, 1096, will be presented in poster session B by Vibeke Strand, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

About Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation in the lining of joints (or synovium), causing joint damage with chronic pain, stiffness, swelling and fatigue. RA causes limited range of motion and decreased function as a result of affected joints losing their shape and alignment.

RA affects about 1 percent of the world's population, including more than 1 million people in the United States. The condition is more common in women than in men, who account for 75 percent of patients diagnosed with RA.

About Alder Biopharmaceuticals

Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc. uniquely identifies, develops and manufactures novel antibody therapeutics to alleviate human suffering in the autoimmune and inflammatory disease areas. Alder's management team combines decades of industry experience with a proven track record for identifying and developing novel antibody therapeutics and enabling partners through the out-licensing of its technologies. ALD518 is an investigational monoclonal antibody to the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 that is being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb for autoimmune indications. In addition to Bristol-Myers Squibb, partners include Merck and Genmab. For more information, visit www.alderbio.com.

SOURCE Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc.