8 PRNewswireFirstCall Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc

1 ranked rushing defense, Scott managed to gain 33 yards on the ground on 13 carries. While these numbers may not seem spectacular, Lewis should consider the potential Scott has against the Raiders rushing attack.The Raiders have the fourth-worst rushing defense in all of football, ranking ahead of only the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Buffalo Bills. In Week Seven, the defense allowed 316 rushing yards to the New York Jets, allowing running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene to each finish with over 100 yards on the ground.While he may not be as effective as Benson, Scott is capable of providing the Bengals with enough production at running back to help the Bengals leave Oakland with a win. If they can beat the Steelers with just 55 yards rushing behind Scott and Benson, there's no reason why they can't do that against the Raiders.Benson's hip strain may not be that serious of an injury.

Lewis should rest Benson to avoid the chance of losing him later on in the season especially come playoff time.Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals . ANA598 Demonstrates Potent Antiviral Activity in an Early Clinical Study inHCV-Infected PatientsPatients treated at the initial dose in an ongoing Phase Ib trial demonstrateda 2.5 log10 median viral load decline after three daysConference Call Today at 8:30AM ESTSAN DIEGO, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(Nasdaq: ANDS) today announced results from the first cohort of an ongoingPhase Ib clinical trial of ANA598, the Company's investigationalnon-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor.ANA598 was very well-tolerated anddemonstrated potent antiviral activity in patients infected with chronicHepatitis C virus (HCV) in this first cohort of the study. Patients in the first cohort received 200 mg ANA598 (n8) or placebo (n2),twice-daily (bid) for three days. At the end of the treatment period, themedian viral load decline was 2.5 log10 (>99), with a range of 1.4-3.4 log10,for the eight patients who received ANA598.

Three patients who received ANA598were genotype 1a and demonstrated a median viral load decline of 1.6 log10,while five patients who received ANA598 were genotype 1b and demonstrated amedian viral load decline of 2.6 log10.All eight patients who receivedANA598 demonstrated a rapid decline in viral load, and no patientsdemonstrated viral rebound while on study drug.In addition to the robustviral load decline, ANA598 was very well-tolerated and there were no seriousadverse events in the first dose cohort, although conclusions regardinglonger-term safety and tolerability cannot be made until the results of futureclinical trials of longer duration in more patients are known.Patients arecurrently being enrolled in the second cohort (400 mg bid) of the study. Anadys expects to report detailed data from multiple cohorts of the study atan upcoming medical conference."We are very pleased with the antiviral activity and safety of ANA598 at thisfirst dose tested in the Phase Ib study," commented James Freddo, M.D.,Anadys' Senior Vice President, Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer. "We believe this early data continues to position ANA598 as a leadingnon-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor in development for the treatment of HCVand we look forward to investigating ANA598 in longer-term studies incombination with current standard of care.""The clinical and preclinical profile of ANA598 observed to date is veryimpressive," said Steve Worland, Ph.D., President and CEO of Anadys. "Themagnitude of viral load drop reported today for ANA598 is greater than hasbeen reported for any other non-nucleoside HCV inhibitor in a monotherapystudy.Furthermore, the rate of initial viral load decline, believed to beassociated with direct inhibition of viral replication, is greater than hasbeen reported previously for all classes of HCV polymerase inhibitors,including nucleosides.This demonstrated antiviral potency holds significantpromise for the future use of ANA598 in combination with other anti-HCVagents."About ANA598Anadys retains worldwide rights to ANA598, which was fully discovered at theCompany.Preclinical evaluation of ANA598 was completed in the first quarterof 2008, leading to submission of an Investigational New Drug Application(IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), subsequent allowance ofthe IND by the FDA and initiation of clinical investigation in the secondquarter of 2008.In December 2008, Anadys announced that the FDA granted fasttrack designation to ANA598 for the treatment of chronic HCV.In October 2008, Anadys initiated patient dosing in the Phase Ib study ofANA598 in HCV patients.In the double-blind, randomized placebo-controlledPhase Ib study, treatment-naive genotype 1a and 1b patients are to receiveoral capsules of ANA598 over three days at doses of 200 mg bid (twice-a-day),400 mg bid or 800 mg bid.Ten patients are to be enrolled at each dose level,eight receiving active drug and two receiving placebo.

In a Phase I study in healthy volunteers, ANA598 was administered as capsulesat single oral doses of 400 mg, 800 mg, 1400 mg, 2000 mg (fed and fasted) and3000 mg.In addition, a separate cohort received two 800 mg doses 12 hoursapart.ANA598 was well tolerated at all doses and there were no seriousadverse events or withdrawals from the study. All reported adverse eventswere classified as mild or moderate, with no apparent dose relationship.Thepharmacokinetic profile demonstrated sustained plasma levels of ANA598consistent with the potential for once-daily or twice-daily oral dosing.In the preclinical program, ANA598 was well tolerated at all doses tested in28-day GLP toxicology studies.In September 2008, Anadys initiated long-term,chronic toxicology studies of ANA598.If ANA598 is successful in early stage development, the Company anticipatescompletion of the clinical, toxicology and manufacturing activities requiredto initiate Phase II studies of ANA598 in combination with current standard ofcare in mid-2009.Webcast of Conference CallAnadys will host a conference call today, January 8, 2009 at 8:30 a.m EasternStandard Time (5:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time) to discuss the results fromthe first cohort of the ongoing Phase Ib clinical trial of ANA598.A livewebcast of the call will be available online at replay will also be available approximately one hour aftercompletion of the call.To access the telephone replay, dial 888-286-8010(domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international), passcode 99568266. die from complications of HCV.The current standard of care is a combination of pegylated interferon andribavirin.Inadequate response rates, in particular for patients infectedwith genotype 1 HCV, along with significant side effects of approved therapy,support the medical need for improved treatment options.It is estimated thatfewer than 5 of people with chronic HCV infection living in the U.S. areunder treatment today.Most infected individuals are unaware of theirinfection status and the large majority of individuals who know theircondition do not currently receive drug therapy.There is also a growingnumber of individuals who have failed interferon-based regimens who may besuccessfully treated with combinations of two or more direct antivirals.Itis expected that the next generation of therapies for treatment of HCV willinclude small molecules, such as ANA598, that directly act upon specific viralenzymes to inhibit viral replication.These new therapies are expected toimprove overall therapy by increasing cure rates and potentially improvingtolerability and convenience of treatment if doses of currently used agentscan be reduced or eliminated.About AnadysAnadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.