Idenix Pharmaceuticals Announces Nucleotide Prodrug Program Poster Presentation at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting

October 1, 2013

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDIX), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced a poster presentation featuring preclinical data for its uridine nucleotide prodrug candidate for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which will take place in Washington, DC, November 1-5, 2013. Full abstracts can now be viewed at the AASLD website at www.aasld.org.

The following abstract will be presented in a poster session during the AASLD Annual Meeting in the Poster Hall on Saturday, November 2, 2013, 2:00pm — 7:30pm Eastern Time:

• Abstract No. 485: "A Novel Uridine Nucleotide Prodrug, IDX20963, and Its Potential for Use in a Low-Dose Direct-Acting Antiviral Regimen for HCV."

ABOUT HEPATITIS C

Hepatitis C virus is a common blood-borne pathogen infecting three to four million people worldwide annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HCV, representing a nearly 5-fold greater prevalence than human immunodeficiency virus.

ABOUT IDENIX

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a biopharmaceutical Company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases.  Idenix's current focus is on the treatment of patients with hepatitis C infection.  For further information about Idenix, please refer to www.idenix.com.

Source: Idenix Pharmaceuticals

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FDA Requests Additional Safety Data for Idenix Hepatitis C Drug

By Nathalie Tadena

June 20, 2013, 5 p.m. ET

Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IDIX) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested additional preclinical safety data for one of the biopharmaceutical company's hepatitis C treatments, which will delay the start of clinical trials.

Shares, which had been halted ahead of the news, slumped 25% to $3.87 after hours when trading resumed. The stock has fallen 52% over the past 12 months, through the close.

The company said it must provide a satisfactory response to the FDA before clinical trials can begin in the U.S. for its IDX20963 lead uridine nucleotide prodrug candidate. Idenix said it recently submitted an investigational new drug application for IDX20963 to the FDA that included preclinical data demonstrating potent, pan-genotypic activity.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that afflicts an estimated four million Americans and 170 million people world-wide. The disease often is contracted during sex or by sharing needles. Current treatment of the drug requires long courses of painful injections and often doesn't work. Drug makers have been racing to find pills that are both more potent and easier to take.

In February, the company said it would discontinue its clinical development program for two of its investigational treatments for hepatitis C, after the FDA said the treatments would remain on clinical hold.

Write to Nathalie Tadena at nathalie.tadena@dowjones.com

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