For Immediate Release

VIA PHARMACEUTICALS IN-LICENSES COMPOUND WITH PROMISE IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE FROM ABBOTT

AUGUST 10, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO, CA., -- VIA Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development of products for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today that it has licensed from Abbott (NYSE:ABT) the exclusive, worldwide rights to a potent oral inhibitor of the inflammatory cascade. Vascular inflammation is thought to be the root cause of many types of cardiovascular disease and its inhibition a crucial component of an efficacious therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, VIA will assume sole control of the development and commercialization of the compound. The financial terms were not disclosed.

“We are very excited to execute on the first element of our strategy and look forward to developing a novel therapeutic that may yield significant advances in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,” said Lawrence K. Cohen, Ph.D., VIA's president and chief executive officer. “The compound's mechanism of action and safety profile make it an ideal first candidate in VIA's clinical development portfolio.”

Douglass Given, M.D., Ph.D., VIA's Chairman of the Board said, “Consummation of this agreement ratifies VIA's business model of identifying and licensing novel opportunities that may yield therapeutic advances in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and clearly demonstrates the Company's ability to successfully in-license such compounds from major pharmaceutical companies.”

Cardiovascular disease has long been the number one killer in the United States and recently became the leading cause of death globally, according to the American Heart Association. It is estimated that over 70 million Americans are at risk of developing major cardiovascular diseases including stroke, peripheral arterial disease and coronary artery disease. An unmet medical need still exists today in identifying promising new approaches to the prevention of cardiovascular events, as current treatments only address risk factors, such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes.

VIA Pharmaceuticals

VIA Pharmaceuticals is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs to treat the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases. VIA's mission is to develop better drugs for treating cardiovascular disease by addressing inflammatory pathways and mechanisms in preference to risk factors. The Company's strategy is to acquire and develop drugs that target the vascular inflammation signature of the disease itself. VIA's strategy envisions early intervention in the systemic inflammatory pathology, stabilization of the disease process and elimination or postponement of cardiovascular events. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. More information about VIA is available at www.viapharmaceuticals.com

Print this release.