TARG Targanta Therapeutics Corp (MM)

Targanta Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: TARG) today announced that data describing oritavancin�s multiple mechanisms of action and its concentration-dependent bactericidal activity will be delivered at the combined annual meetings of the 48th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the 46th Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), taking place in Washington, DC, October 25-28, 2008. These presentations address the mechanisms that enable oritavancin to be active against gram-positive pathogens as shown in two Phase 3 trials, both of which met their primary endpoints. Presentations of data will focus on oritavancin�s: Three mechanisms of action Oritavancin interferes with gram-positive bacterial stasis in three different ways. Similar to vancomycin, oritavancin binds to the bacterial stem peptide and blocks cell wall synthesis (F1-366). However, unlike vancomycin�s single action on the cell wall, oritavancin attacks cell wall synthesis at two independent sites. First, the compound directly inhibits bacterial transglycosylase, which is the enzyme that forms the glycan backbone of the cell wall. Second, oritavancin inhibits transpeptidase, an enzyme that cross links adjacent glycan strands. Oritavancin�s third mechanism of action is its ability to disrupt membrane integrity resulting in bacterial cell death (C1-199 and C1-4182). Bactericidal against intracellular S. aureus Oritavancin shows greater bactericidal activity against intracellular S. aureus than most other antibiotics used to treat gram-positive pathogens (A-970, A-971 and A-972). Dose-dependent bactericidal activity Additionally, Poster C1-3737 entitled, �In vitro Time Kill Studies of Oritavancin against Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA)� will be presented at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. The schedule of presentations is as follows: DATE � TIME � TYPE � AUTHOR � TITLE Saturday, October 25 � 12:15 p.m. � 1:15 p.m. � Poster � Belley � Pretreatment of In Vitro Model Surfaces of Indwelling Devices with Oritavancin Prevents Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis (C1-198) � � � � Poster � Domenech � Comparative Study of the Membrane Permabilization Induced by Oritavancin (ORI) vs. Vancomycin (VAN) in Liposomes and Role of an Acidic Phospholipid (C1-199) � � � � Poster � Kim � Hexapeptide of Oritavancin with Damaged Aglycon Exhibits Dual Mode of Action Against Cell-Wall Biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus (F1-366) � � � � Poster � Kim � Hydrophobic Sidechain Length Determines Conformational Heterogeneity of Lipoglycopeptide Binding to the Cell Wall of Staphylococcus aureus (F1-368) Sunday, October 26 � 11:15 a.m. � 12:15 p.m. � Poster � Nguyen � SCV Phenotype and Reduced Intracellular Activity of Antibiotics: A Cause for Persistent Staphylococcal Infection? (A-970) � � � � Poster � Baudoux � Intracellular Activity of Oritavancin against MSSA, MRSA and VISA Strains in a Model of Human Macrophages (A-971) � � � � Poster � Nguyen � Subcellular Localization of S. aureus Small Colony Variant (SCV) versus its Normal Phenotype (NP) Counterpart in a Model of Calu-3 Airway Epithelial Cells: Impact on the Intracellular Activity of Oritavancin, Gentamicin, Oxacillin and Moxifloxacin (A-972) Tuesday, October 28 � 8:30 a.m. � 8:45 a.m. � Slides � Belley � Efficacy of Oritavancin against In vitro Biofilms Derived from Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis (C1-3711) � � 10:00 a.m. � 10:15 a.m. � Slides � McKay � In vitro Time Kill Studies of Oritavancin against Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) (C1-3717) � � 4:00 p.m. � 4:15 p.m. � Slides � McKay � Oritavancin Disrupts Membrane Integrity to Effect Cell Killing of Vancomycin (VAN)-Nonsusceptible Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and VAN-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) (C1-4182) About Oritavancin Oritavancin is a novel semi-synthetic lipoglycopeptide antibiotic candidate with potent bactericidal (killing) activity against a broad spectrum of gram-positive bacteria. In its intravenous (IV) formulation, the product candidate has been tested in over 2,400 individuals and has completed two Phase 3 studies for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) in which the primary endpoints were met. Targanta submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2008 seeking to commercialize oritavancin for the treatment of cSSSI; the FDA accepted the NDA submission for standard review, establishing an action date of December 8, 2008. Targanta�s Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for oritavancin was accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in June 2008. Targanta is also developing an oral version of oritavancin for the possible treatment of Clostridium difficile. About Targanta Therapeutics Targanta Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: TARG) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative antibiotics to treat serious infections in the hospital and other institutional settings. The Company�s pipeline includes an intravenous version of oritavancin, a semi-synthetic lipoglycopeptide antibiotic currently awaiting U.S. and EU regulatory approval, and, a program to develop an oral version of oritavancin for the treatment of Clostridium difficile. The Company has operations in Cambridge, MA, Indianapolis, IN, and Montreal, Qu�bec, Canada. For more information on Targanta, visit www.targanta.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains �forward-looking statements� that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These are statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or that include words such as �may,� "will," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "should," "seeks," �hope� and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described in Targanta�s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks and uncertainties referred to above include, but are not limited to, risks related to Targanta�s dependence on the success of oritavancin; delays in obtaining or a failure to obtain regulatory approval for Targanta�s product candidates; failure of any approved product to achieve significant commercial acceptance in the medical community or receive reimbursement by third-party payors; unfavorable clinical trial results; failure to maintain and protect Targanta�s intellectual property assets and to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of others; competition from other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies; Targanta�s potential inability to initiate and complete pre-clinical studies and clinical trials for its product candidates; the possibility that results of pre-clinical studies are not necessarily predictive of clinical trial results; and those other risks factors that are described more fully in the Company�s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Targanta does not undertake any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release.