SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) announced that its senior management team will host a conference call, and simultaneous audio webcast, today at 8:30 a.m. EST (5:30 a.m. PST) to discuss its partnership with AstraZeneca for Rigel's late-stage investigational product, fostamatinib disodium (R788), for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and additional indications.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

To access the live call, please dial 866-770-7120 (domestic) or 617-213-8065 (international) 10 minutes prior to the start time and use the passcode 85880541.  A replay of the call will be available at approximately 11:30 a.m. EST on February 16, 2010 until February 23, 2010. To access the replay, please dial 888-286-8010 (domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international) and use the passcode 36745543. The conference call will also be webcast live and can be accessed from Rigel's website at 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 downloads that may be necessary.

About Rigel (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. Rigel's 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: Raul Rodriguez

Phone: 650.624.1302

Email: rrodriguez@rigel.com



Media Contact: Susan C. Rogers, Alchemy Consulting, Inc.

Phone: 650.430.3777

Email: susan@alchemyemail.com

SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.