XOMA To Host Conference Call And Webcast On January 4, 2011 To Provide Business Update

BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 3, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA), a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced today that it is hosting a conference call and webcast tomorrow, January 4, at 8:30 AM Eastern time (5:30 AM Pacific time) to provide a business update.

The webcast can be accessed via the Investors section of XOMA's website at http://investors.xoma.com/events.cfm and will be available for replay approximately two hours after conclusion of the live event until close of business on March 31, 2011. To access the live call, dial 877-369-6589 toll-free or 408-337-0122 outside of the U.S. A telephonic replay will be available approximately two hours after conclusion of the live event until close of business on January 11, 2011 by dialing 800-642-1687 toll-free or 706-645-9291 outside of the U.S. and using conference ID 34051571.

About XOMA

XOMA discovers, develops and manufactures novel antibody therapeutics for its own proprietary pipeline as well as through license and collaborative agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and under its contracts with the U.S. government. The company's proprietary product pipeline includes:

• XOMA 052, an anti-IL-1 beta antibody entering Phase 3 development in Behcet's uveitis, for which it has been designated an orphan drug, and in Phase 2 clinical development for Type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular biomarkers, Type 1 diabetes, and with potential for the treatment of a wide range of inflammatory conditions.
• XOMA 3AB, an antibody candidate in pre-IND studies to neutralize the botulinum toxin, among the most deadly potential bioterror threats, under development through funding provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (Contract # HHSN266200600008C).
• A preclinical pipeline with candidates in development for autoimmune, cardio-metabolic,  inflammatory, ophthalmic and oncologic diseases.

The company has a premier antibody discovery and development platform that incorporates an unmatched collection of antibody phage display libraries and proprietary Human Engineering(TM), affinity maturation, Bacterial Cell Expression (BCE) and manufacturing technologies. BCE is a key breakthrough biotechnology for the discovery and manufacturing of antibodies and other proteins. As a result, 60 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have signed BCE licenses, and several licensed product candidates are in clinical development.