Arena Pharma Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Trial of APD334 for Autoimmune Diseases

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ARNA announced today the initiation of dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of APD334, a novel oral drug candidate that targets the sphingosine 1-phosphate subtype 1 (S1P[1]) receptor for the potential treatment of autoimmune diseases. This randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled Phase 1 trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single-ascending doses of APD334 in up to 64 healthy adult volunteers. "We are pleased to expand our clinical-stage pipeline by initiating a Phase 1 trial of APD334, and look forward to advancing this novel compound through our validated development platform," said William R. Shanahan, M.D., Arena's Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. "APD334's selectivity for the S1P[1] receptor has the potential to improve upon the adverse event profile of currently available treatments for a spectrum of autoimmune diseases."