Agouron Acquires New HIV Protease Inhibitor from Japan Energy Corporation [International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

Agouron 5571095.0147.01 1
Pharmaceutals, Inc. NEWS
Investor Contact: Media Contact:
Donna Nichols, Vice President Joy Schmitt, Manager
Head of Corporate Communications Product Public Relations
[phone] [phone]
For Release at 8:00 a.m. EDT on June 30, 1998
AGOURON ACQUIRES NEW HIV PROTEASE INHIBITOR FROM
JAPAN ENERGY CORPORATION
LA JOLLA, Calif., June 30, 1998 - Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGPH)
today announced it has acquired rights to develop and commercialize JE-2147, a novel HIV
protease inhibitor discovered by Japan Energy Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Agouron plans to
initiate clinical studies of JE-2147, formerly known as KNI-764, in 1999.
Agouron will have exclusive rights to the development and commercialization of JE-2147
in North America, Europe and many other countries, while Japan Energy will supply compound
for development and maintain commercialization rights in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Under the
agreement with Agouron, Japan Energy will receive license fees of up to $26 million, including
an initial $6 million license fee as well as additional milestone payments. In addition, Agouron
will pay Japan Energy royalties based on sales of JE-2147.
"There is an urgent and growing need for a new HIV protease inhibitor capable of acting
on virus that has become resistant to currently available compounds," said Peter Johnson,
Agouron's president and chief executive officer. "A comprehensive review of preclinical data
convinced us that JE-2147 has unique potential to meet this need."
Data presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference in Geneva this week by Japan Energy
scientists demonstrated that JE-2147 is fully active against a battery of virus strains representing
the predominant resistance mutations produced by currently available protease inhibitors. JE-2147
also demonstrated synergistic anti-viral activity in vitro when combined with nelfinavir, indinavir,
ritonavir, saquinavir, or amprenavir.
Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an integrated pharmaceutical company committed to the
discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of innovative therapeutic products

engineered to inactivate proteins that play key roles in cancer, AIDS, and other serious diseases.
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