Alagebrium Demonstrates Cardiovascular Activity in Recently Published
Report Indicating Potential Wide-Ranging Benefits in Cardiovascular
Diseases

Alagebrium Modifies Biomarkers Relating to Inflammation, Matrix
Turnover and Endothelial Function

Vascular Reactivity Observed After Twice Daily Dosing

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PARSIPPANY, N.J., February 15, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Alteon Inc.
(AMEX:ALT) announced today that data demonstrating the ability of its
compound, alagebrium, to augment flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is the
subject of a paper published in the March 2007, Volume 25, No. 3
issue of the Journal of Hypertension, by Susan Zieman, M.D, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Cardiology), and
colleagues from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The paper,
describing an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial,
indicates that alagebrium can induce changes in flow-mediated
dilation and a variety of biomarkers related to inflammation, matrix
turnover and endothelial function. The Company believes that this
pragmatic demonstration of alagebrium's biological activity in human
clinical subjects using a collection of well-validated biomarkers, is
supportive of the Company's plans to advance alagebrium's development
in cardiac and vascular mediated disease.

FMD is thought to be a good test for the "health" and responsiveness
of blood vessels. Investigators can block blood flow in an artery by
applying pressure and then they can measure the increase in blood
flow upon alleviation of the pressure. In Dr. Zieman's study,
patients with isolated systolic hypertension, received alagebrium at
a dose of 210 mg twice daily and were analyzed with baseline and post-
treatment follow-up. FMD increased from 4.6 plus or minus 1.1 to 7.1
plus or minus 1.1% with alagebrium (P is less than 0.05), and the
increase was unrelated to altered shear stress or regional arterial
distensibility. The increase in FMD correlated with a decrease in
markers of collagen synthesis, p-selectin and intracellular cell
adhesion molecule (all P is less than 0.05), suggesting an anti-
inflammatory mediated mechanism for the increase in FMD. The ability
of alagebrium to decrease markers associated with inflammation and
matrix synthesis may have wide ranging beneficial implications for
cardiovascular health.

"We congratulate Dr. Zieman and her colleagues for producing
exceptional translational work that addresses the biology underlying
alagebrium's effect on cardiovascular physiology," said Noah
Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of
Alteon. "We believe that results such as these, demonstrating
alagebrium's anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects on vascular
reactivity make a strong mechanistic case for advancing alagebrium's
development in vascular and cardiac diseases such as diabetic
nephropathy and diastolic heart failure."

--Preston Wright

[The abstract is at: http://pmid.us/17278974 --Paul]