Array Initiates Phase I Clinical Trial

Array BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRY) initiated a Phase I clinical trial in the US for ARRY-438162, a novel MEK inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory disease. The compound will be evaluated in dose escalation studies in normal, healthy volunteers.

MEK is a protein kinase that regulates both the biosynthesis of and response to a number of growth factors that drive uncontrolled inflammation associated with many human diseases. Array’s first MEK inhibitor, ARRY-142886, was licensed to AstraZeneca AB for cancer and is currently in clinical development. Array's new molecule, ARRY-438162, is a potent and selective inhibitor in enzyme and cellular systems. The Array thesis is that MEK inhibition will be useful in treating acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and inflammatory bowel disease.