AMED Amedeo Res

RNS No 8641f
CHIROSCIENCE GROUP PLC
11th February 1998 
 
                     CHIROSCIENCE & BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB
                           IN CANCER COLLABORATION
                BMS Licenses Two Innovative New Cancer Drugs
 
Chiroscience Group plc (London Stock Exchange: CRO) and Bristol-Myers  Squibb
Company  (NYSE:BMY) today announce research and licensing agreements  in  the
area  of  matrix  metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors  for  the  treatment  of
cancer.   Bristol-Myers  Squibb  will license Chiroscience's  MMP  programme,
including  the  worldwide rights to two lead compounds designated  D2163  and
D1927.   In  addition,  both  companies have entered  a  three-year  oncology
research  collaboration to discover new selective MMP  inhibitors.  Financial
terms were not disclosed.
 
According  to  the  terms  of  the  agreements,  Chiroscience  will   receive
development milestones for all products, as well as royalties on  sales.   In
addition, Bristol-Myers Squibb will pay undisclosed access and research  fees
and  will gain all rights to new and jointly selected MMP inhibitors that are
developed  for  oncology;  Chiroscience  will  retain  the  rights  for   MMP
inhibitors in all other therapeutic areas.
 
Matrix  metalloproteinases are a family of enzymes over-expressed  in  tumour
tissues  and have been found to support the growth, invasion, and  metastatic
process of developing tumours.  D2163 and D1927 are potent oral inhibitors of
these enzymes.  D2163 entered Phase I clinical trials in England in December.
D1927  is expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in March.  It is expected
that  these  second-generation MMP inhibitors will have  an  improved  safety
profile in humans, due to their selectivity, compared to other MMP inhibitors
in development.  This approach may also produce improvements in efficacy.
 
The research collaboration between Chiroscience and Bristol-Myers Squibb will
focus  on  understanding the role of MMPs in different tumours  in  order  to
develop  additional  MMP  inhibitors  with  different  selectivity  profiles.
Chiroscience's  proprietary gene expression technology will  be  utilised  to
study enzyme profiles in human tumours.
 
Said  Dr  John  Padfield, Chief Executive Officer of  Chiroscience:  "We  are
delighted  to  have  licensed D2163 and D1927 to  Bristol-Myers  Squibb,  the
world's leading oncology company, and to have entered into a collaboration to
discover new MMP inhibitors.  These agreements validate our MMP programme and
provide  real hope for more effective and well-tolerated treatments for  many
types of cancer.  The agreements also recognise the leading position held  by
Chiroscience in its gene expression capabilities, as the proprietary  genetic
analysis  technologies developed at our site in Seattle will be a major  part
of the research collaboration."
 
"We  are  committed to the discovery and development of innovative treatments
for  cancer,"  said  Dr  Peter S. Ringrose, President,  Bristol-Myers  Squibb
Pharmaceutical  Research  Institute.   "These  agreements  with  Chiroscience
underscore  our strategic interest in the area of MMP inhibition and  provide
us  with the opportunity to develop the novel drug candidates D2163 and D1927
as  well  as take a lead in understanding physiological mechanisms  promoting
the progression of cancer and the role of MMPs in this process."
 
For further information, please contact:

Dr Andy Richards, Director of      Giles Sanderson
Business Development               Financial Dynamics
Christine Soden, Finance Director  Tel: +44 (0)171 831
Tel: +44 (0)171 831 3113 (11       3113
February 1998)
Tel: +44 (0)1223 420430
(thereafter)

Visit  Chiroscience on the  World  http://www.chiroscienc
Wide Web at:                       e.com
 
Notes:
 
Chiroscience Group plc
Chiroscience Group plc is an emerging pharmaceutical company, which uses  its
diverse  technology  platform  to discover and develop  novel  medicines  for
improved  healthcare.  The Group has two principal activities,  operating  as
Darwin  Discovery and ChiroTech.  Chiroscience is listed on the London  Stock
Exchange.
 
Darwin Discovery embraces activities in Cambridge and Stevenage, England, and
Seattle,  Washington,  including gene-based research and  molecular  biology,
through  chiral-based, combinatorial, medicinal, and process chemistries,  to
clinical  development.   It is engaged in the discovery  and  development  of
innovative  small molecule drugs and related diagnostics with  a  therapeutic
focus on autoimmune disease, cancer, inflammation, pain, and osteoporosis.
 
ChiroTech  provides  chiral  technology  services  to  customers  within  the
pharmaceutical  and  related  industries in  support  of  Darwin  Discovery's
research and development programmes.
 
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers  Squibb  is a diversified worldwide health  and  personal  care
company  whose  principal businesses are pharmaceuticals, consumer  products,
nutritionals,  and  medical  devices.  It is a leading  maker  of  innovative
therapies  for  cardiovascular, metabolic and  infectious  diseases,  central
nervous  system and dermatological disorders, and cancer.  The company  is  a
leader  in  consumer  medicines,  orthopaedic  devices,  ostomy  care,  wound
management, nutritional supplements, infant formulas, and hair and skin  care
products. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a market capitalisation of c.$95 billion.
 
Visit Bristol-Myers Squibb on the World Wide Web at: http://www.bms.com
 

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