Rigel to Participate at the RBC Capital Markets Healthcare Conference

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that James M. Gower, Rigel's chairman and chief executive officer, will participate in a panel discussion at the 2008 RBC Capital Marketing Healthcare Conference. The panel, entitled, "New Drugs and Targets for Inflammation and Rheumatology", will take place on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. EST at The Westin Times Square Hotel in New York City.

To access the live audio webcast or the subsequent archived recording, log on to http://www.rigel.com. Please connect to Rigel's website several minutes prior to the start of the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Rigel (http://www.rigel.com)

Rigel is a clinical-stage drug development company that discovers and develops novel, small-molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and cancer, as well as viral and metabolic diseases. Our pioneering research focuses on intracellular signaling pathways and related targets that are critical to disease mechanisms. Rigel's productivity has resulted in strategic collaborations with large pharmaceutical partners to develop and market our product candidates. Rigel has product development programs in inflammatory/autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thrombocytopenia and asthma, as well as in cancer.

Contact: Ryan Maynard

Phone: 650.624.1284

Email: invrel@rigel.com

SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Released December 8, 2008