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[DewDiligence]

GNLB, NVS Ink HCV Drug-Discovery Collaboration

[In the HCV arena, NVS has a lot of irons in the fire: a nucleoside polymerase inhibitor (NM283 from IDIX in phase-2b), an immunomodulator to replace interferon (ANA975 from ANDS in phase-1b), and now a non-nucleoside drug-discovery program with GNLB including the first right on anything actually discovered. It’s not hard to see that NVS thinks the future of HCV is likely to be an all-oral cocktail. By the way, GNLB's market cap is <$15M.]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060605/sfm041.html?.v=55

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Genelabs Announces Collaboration for Development and Commercialization of HCV Non-Nucleoside Drug Candidates
Monday June 5, 12:01 am ET

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genelabs Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNLB ) announced today that it has entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Novartis for the development and commercialization of compounds from Genelabs' Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) non-nucleoside drug discovery program.

"I am delighted that Genelabs and Novartis are entering into this collaboration. This collaboration links us with a partner that has the scope, scale, expertise and commitment to make a major impact on the future treatment of HCV infection," stated James A.D. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Genelabs non-nucleosides covered by this collaboration have the potential to be complementary with other HCV drugs being developed by Novartis, and I believe Novartis is well positioned to move this project forward efficiently."

Under the terms of the agreement, Genelabs is eligible to receive approximately $20 million over a planned two-year research program, including initial up-front payments of $12.5 million. If all potential clinical, regulatory and sales milestones are met, additional payments to Genelabs could exceed $175 million. Genelabs is also entitled to a royalty on net sales of products covered by the collaboration.

"This is the second major collaboration for Genelabs based on our HCV drug discovery platform, and we are very pleased to have Novartis as our partner," stated Ronald C. Griffith, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. "I am proud of the highly skilled and dedicated scientists working at Genelabs, who have all contributed to our HCV drug discovery successes."

About the Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C is a viral liver disease caused by infection with the Hepatitis C Virus. Worldwide, 170 million people are estimated to be infected with the hepatitis C virus. Liver disease resulting from chronic HCV infection is now recognized as the leading cause of liver failure and liver transplantation in the United States. Currently, there is no vaccine that can protect against HCV infection.

About the Collaboration

Under the terms of the agreement, Genelabs is responsible for drug discovery research and Novartis is responsible for development and commercialization. Novartis has an option to extend the research funding for a third year and has a right of first negotiation for Genelabs' HCV NS5a drug discovery compounds.

About Genelabs Technologies

Genelabs Technologies, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of pharmaceutical products to improve human health. We have built drug discovery capabilities that can support various research and development projects. Genelabs is currently concentrating these capabilities on discovering novel compounds that selectively inhibit replication of the hepatitis C virus and advancing preclinical development of compounds from this hepatitis C virus drug discovery program, while also developing a late-stage product for lupus. We believe that these high-risk, potentially high reward programs focus our research and development expertise in areas where we have the opportunity to generate either first-in-class or best-in-class products that will address diseases for which current therapies are inadequate. For more information, please visit www.genelabs.com.
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