Parion Sciences Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Trial to Evaluate Safety and Tolerability of GS9411

Parion Sciences, Inc. has announced that its partner, Gilead Sciences has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of GS9411 in healthy volunteers to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the investigational compound. GS9411 is designed to increase airway hydration for the treatment of pulmonary disease.

Previously known as P-680, GS9411 is an epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) blocker discovered by Parion, a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on treating diseases that result from the failure of the body's mucosal defenses.

The initiation of the Phase I trial triggers a $5 million milestone payment to Parion, according to an exclusive licensing and co-development agreement signed in August 2007 granting Gilead worldwide commercialization rights to GS9411 for the treatment of pulmonary diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-CF bronchiectasis.

Parion and Gilead jointly performed the IND-enabling studies for GS9411, and Gilead will assume primary development responsibilities going forward. The two companies are also collaborating on a research program to identify other promising ENaC blocker-based drug candidates utilizing Parion's proprietary ENaC-based chemistry platform.

"This is an important milestone in our program to develop ENaC inhibitors to treat a range of diseases through restoring and maintaining the hydration of mucosal surfaces," said Paul Boucher, Sr. Director, Finance and Business at Parion.

"Our partnership with Gilead has enabled us to accelerate development of GS9411 and successfully meet the goals and timelines for this project. We look forward to discovering the potential of this compound to provide a new treatment option for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, COPD and other serious lung conditions."