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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report: August 7, 1997
(Date of earliest event reported)
LIDAK PHARMACEUTICALS
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
CALIFORNIA
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
0-18734 33-0314804
(Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
11077 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(619) 558-0364
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
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Item 5. OTHER EVENTS
The registrant incorporates by reference herein the press release dated
August 7, 1997, attached hereto as Exhibit 99.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibits
(i) Exhibit 99 -- Press Release dated August 7, 1997.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
LIDAK PHARMACEUTICALS
Date: August 11, 1997 By: \s\ David H. Katz
-----------------------------------
David H. Katz, M.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT 99
LIDAK PHARMACEUTICALS
NEWS RELEASE
DATE: AUGUST 7, 1997 CONTACT: Lisa Dawn Katz
Director, Corporate
RELEASE DATE: IMMEDIATE Communications &
Investor Relations
LIDAK Pharmaceuticals
(619) 558-0364, ext. 256
David H. Katz, M.D.
President/CEO
LIDAK Pharmaceuticals
(619) 450-1538
AURORA BIOSCIENCES CORPORATION AND LIDAK PHARMACEUTICALS
SIGN DRUG DISCOVERY AGREEMENT ON ADIFAB TECHNOLOGY
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA -- August 7, 1997 -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation
(NASDAQ: ASBC) and LIDAK Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ NNM: LDAKA) announced today an
agreement whereby Aurora receives an exclusive worldwide license, with rights to
sublicense, LIDAK's proprietary fluorescent one-step unbound free fatty acid
determination method (ADIFAB) for the field of screening for therapeutic
compounds. LIDAK retains rights for other fields, particularly diagnostic
applications.
The ADIFAB technology, developed by Alan M. Kleinfeld, Ph.D. and his
colleagues at Medical Biology Institute and LIDAK Pharmaceuticals, is based on a
genetically engineered fluorescent probe that provides a unique method to
directly measure unbound free fatty acid (FFAu) levels. The ADIFAB assay is a
sensitive and reliable measurement which can be performed rapidly and is
amenable to high throughput screening. Under the agreement, Dr. Kleinfeld will
serve as a consultant to Aurora for the application of this technology to the
field of drug discovery.
Commenting on the announcement, David H. Katz, M.D., LIDAK's president and
chief executive officer, stated, "The ADIFAB technology has screen development
applications for a wide variety of diseases such as ischemia, inflammation,
obesity, diabetes, and immune dysfunction. We believe the potential application
of the ADIFAB technology will be usefully expanded into the area of drug
discovery by working with an outstanding company such as Aurora Biosciences,
which is setting the standard in high throughput screening."
Healthy human beings appear to have strong regulation to maintain
consistent and low
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AUGUST 7, 1997
AURORA BIOSCIENCES CORPORATION AND LIDAK PHARMACEUTICALS
SIGN DRUG DISCOVERY ON ADIFAB TECHNOLOGY
PAGE 2
FFAu levels in their blood. Preliminary evidence from studies conducted by Dr.
Kleinfeld and his colleagues indicate that FFAu levels in patients with certain
diseases, such as coronary artery disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes,
may be substantially higher than the normal levels found in healthy individuals.
The companies believe that the ADIFAB technology is the only method available to
directly measure unbound FFAu in human blood plasma.
Aurora Biosciences Corporation designs and develops proprietary drug
discovery systems, services and technologies to accelerate and enhance the
discovery of new medicines. Aurora is developing an integrated technology
platform comprised of a portfolio of proprietary fluorescent assay technologies
and an ultra high throughput screening system designed to allow assay
miniaturization.
LIDAK Pharmaceuticals is developing therapeutic products against virally
caused diseases, inflammatory disorders, allergies and asthma, and cancer. LIDAK
recently completed the patient enrollment and treatment portion of a Phase 3
clinical trial studying its proprietary drug, n-docosanol (LIDAKOL(R)) as a
treatment for oral herpes. The study was conducted on more than 600 patients at
22 clinical sites around the United States. The Company anticipates data
availability during the summer of 1997, as previously reported.
# # #
The information contained in this press release, including any forward
looking statements contained herein, should be reviewed in conjunction with the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other publicly available information
regarding the Company, copies of which are available from the Company upon
request. Such publicly available information sets forth many risks and
uncertainties related to the Company's business and such statements, including
risks and uncertainties related to drug development and clinical trials.
