Synta Pharmaceuticals to Host Analyst Event on Oxidative Stress Induction: A Novel Mechanism to Treat Cancer

Company to Webcast Event on March 25

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2008--Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that the Company will hold an Analyst Event on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET) at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. The program, "Oxidative Stress Induction: A Novel Mechanism to Treat Cancer," will feature a series of presentations and a panel discussion by experts in the field of oxidative stress and melanoma.

Synta Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline is developing elesclomol, a first-in-class, small-molecule, oxidative stress inducer that is in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Investment professionals interested in attending Synta Pharmaceutical's Analyst Event should contact Jacqui Miller at (781) 235-3060 or [email protected].

Guest Speakers:  John P. Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering
Director, Clinical Pharmacology and Developmental Therapeutics
University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

John M. Kirkwood, M.D.
Thomas and Sandra Usher Professor of Medicine and Dermatology
Vice Chairman for Clinical Research
Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Director, Melanoma Center
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Steven J. O'Day, M.D.
Chief of Research
Director, Melanoma Program
The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Date:  Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Time: 8:00 a.m. Registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. Presentations commence

Webcast: A live audio webcast and replay of the event will be available on the "Investors" section of the Company's website, www.syntapharma.com.

Dial-in: 866-713-8564 or 617-597-5312 (international)

Password: 65320273

About Elesclomol (Formerly STA-4783)

Elesclomol is a novel, injectable, investigational drug candidate that is believed to kill cancer cells by elevating oxidative stress levels beyond a breaking point, triggering programmed cell death. This mechanism of action, called oxidative stress induction, represents a novel way of selectively killing cancer cells.

A pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of elesclomol in combination with paclitaxel in metastatic melanoma (the SYMMETRY(SM) trial) was initiated in October 2007 and Phase 2 trials in other indications, and in combination with other agents, are planned. Information about the SYMMETRY trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

In a double-blind, randomized, controlled Phase 2b clinical trial in 81 patients with metastatic melanoma, elesclomol in combination with paclitaxel met the primary endpoint, doubling the median time patients survived without their disease progressing, compared to paclitaxel alone (p = 0.035). The most common adverse events in the elesclomol plus paclitaxel group included fatigue, alopecia, constipation, nausea, hypoaesthesia, arthralgia, insomnia, diarrhea, and anemia.

About Synta Pharmaceuticals

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to extend and enhance the lives of patients with severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Synta has a unique chemical compound library, an integrated discovery engine, and a diverse pipeline of clinical- and preclinical-stage drug candidates with distinct mechanisms of action and novel chemical structures. All Synta drug candidates were invented by Synta scientists using our compound library and discovery capabilities. Synta has a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline for the joint development and commercialization of its lead investigational drug candidate, elesclomol, which is in a global, pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. For more information, please visit www.syntapharma.com.

CONTACT: Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Rob Kloppenburg, 781-541-7125
or
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Doug MacDougall, 508-647-0209

SOURCE: Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.