Ardea Biosciences to Present at Four Upcoming Investor Conferences

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEA) announced today that the Company will present at the following upcoming investor conferences:

• Stifel Nicolaus 2010 Healthcare Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.  Stephen R. Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer will present at 10:20 a.m. EDT on Thursday, September 16, 2010. This presentation will be webcast and can be accessed on Ardea's website at www.ardeabio.com in the Investor Relations section under News & Events.  
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Healthcare Conference in London, England.  Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., President and Chief Executive Officer will present at 1:45 p.m. BST on Thursday, September 16, 2010.
• UBS 2010 Global Life Sciences Conference in New York, NY.  Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., President and Chief Executive Officer will present at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 20, 2010. This presentation will be webcast and can be accessed on Ardea's website at www.ardeabio.com in the Investor Relations section under News & Events.
• Fifth Annual JMP Securities Healthcare Conference in New York, NY.  Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., President and Chief Executive Officer will present at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 27, 2010. This presentation will be webcast and can be accessed on Ardea's website at www.ardeabio.com in the Investor Relations section under News & Events.

About Ardea Biosciences, Inc.

Ardea Biosciences, Inc., of San Diego, California, is a biotechnology company focused on the development of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of serious diseases.  RDEA594, our lead product candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout, is a selective URAT1 transporter inhibitor in Phase 2 clinical development.  Our next-generation URAT1 inhibitor program is currently in preclinical development.  RDEA119, a potent and specific inhibitor of mitogen-activated ERK kinase (MEK) and our lead product candidate for the treatment of cancer, is being developed under a global license agreement with Bayer HealthCare AG.  RDEA119 is currently being evaluated in advanced cancer patients with different tumor types as a single agent in a Phase 1 study as well as in combination with sorafenib (Nexavar®; Bayer HealthCare, Onyx Pharmaceuticals) in a Phase 1/2 study.  Our two product candidates for the treatment of HIV, RDEA806 and RDEA427, are non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), which have successfully completed a Phase 2a study in HIV patients and a human micro-dose pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers, respectively.

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans and goals, the expected properties and benefits of RDEA594, RDEA119, RDEA806, RDEA427 and our other compounds and the timing and results of our preclinical, clinical and other studies.  Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include risks related to the outcome of preclinical and clinical studies, risks related to regulatory approvals, delays in commencement of preclinical and clinical studies, costs associated with our drug discovery and development programs, and risks related to the outcome of our business development activities, including collaboration or license agreements.  These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in our most recently filed SEC documents, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risk Factors."  All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made.  We undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

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SOURCE Ardea Biosciences, Inc.