Senomyx Announces Recent Progress in Sweet Enhancer and Bitter Blocker Programs

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Identification of the first Fructose Enhancers that provide a “taste proof-of-concept”,Expanded GRAS categories for S6973 Sucrose Enhancer; Advances with new Sucrose Enhancers

SAN DIEGO, CA – March 16, 2010 – Senomyx, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNMX), a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries, will present a corporate overview that includes important new progress in the Company’s Sweet Enhancer and Bitter Blocker Programs today at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (12:30 p.m. Pacific Time) during the ROTH 22nd Annual OC Growth Stock Conference.

Kent Snyder, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, will discuss the identification of the first Senomyx flavor ingredients that demonstrate a statistically significant amplification of the sweet taste of fructose. This “taste proof-of-concept” is a key achievement for Senomyx because fructose is a major component of high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener used widely in beverages as well as other large product categories. Senomyx intends to optimize the new fructose enhancers to increase their enhancement properties, and to conduct further evaluations in taste tests.

Mr. Snyder will also comment on progress made with Senomyx’s enhancers for sucrose (the most commonly used sweetener in the world). The Company’s lead sucrose enhancer, S6973, enables the reduction of up to 50% of the sucrose present in product prototypes while maintaining the sweet taste of natural sugar. S6973 received Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status in October 2009. The GRAS determination allows S6973 to be incorporated into specified products in the U.S. and in numerous other countries.

Senomyx was recently notified that the GRAS status for S6973 has been extended to instant coffee and tea, and imitation dairy products. Previous GRAS product categories for S6973 include baked goods, cereals, gum, condiments and relishes, confectioneries and frostings, frozen dairy offerings, fruit ices, gelatins and puddings, hard and soft candy, jams and jellies, milk products, and sauces.

Additional advances with the Sweet Enhancer Program include the recent identification of a new family of sucrose enhancers that allow for up to 40% reduction of sugar in preliminary taste tests. These alternative sucrose enhancers have distinct physical properties that may be advantageous for a broad range of beverages and other product applications that have specific requirements due to special packaging and storage conditions.

In regard to the Company’s Bitter Blocker Program, Senomyx previously announced that it expected to conclude development activities with S6821 by year-end, in preparation to pursue regulatory filings in the U.S. and elsewhere during 2011. The Company has made considerable progress in this program since the beginning of the year, and Senomyx now projects that it will be in position to submit regulatory applications for S6821 during the fourth quarter of 2010. In addition, S0812, another promising bitter blocker, has met the Company’s requirements for advancement into the development phase. Senomyx believes development activities with S0812 will conclude by year-end and regulatory filings will be made in early 2011. Taste tests have demonstrated that S6821 and S0812, alone or in combination, can provide statistically significant reductions in the bitterness of a variety of product prototypes and food ingredients including tea, cocoa, menthol, various proteins, and the sweeteners Rebaudioside-A (a derivative of the stevia plant), Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and saccharine.

To access Senomyx’s live presentation at the ROTH Conference or a subsequent archived recording, please log onto Senomyx’s website at http://www.senomyx.com and click on the “Investor Relations” tab. The archived webcast will be available for 30 days following the presentation. Please connect to Senomyx’s website prior to the start of the webcast to ensure adequate time to download any software that may be necessary.

About Senomyx, Inc. (www.senomyx.com)

Senomyx is a leading company using proprietary taste receptor technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients in the savory, sweet, salt, bitter, and cooling areas. The Company has product discovery and development collaborations with global food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies, some of which are currently marketing products that contain Senomyx’s flavor ingredients. For more information, please visit www.senomyx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential uses and commercial value of S6973, and other sweetness enhancers; the progress and capabilities of Senomyx’s discovery and development programs including without limitation statements regarding our ability to successfully complete development activities for bitter blockers in the anticipated timeframe, or at all; and our ability to identify and develop any additional fructose or sucrose enhancing flavor ingredients with physical and other properties of interest. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: Senomyx is dependent on its product discovery and development collaborators for all of Senomyx’s revenue; Senomyx is dependent on its current and any future product discovery and development collaborators to develop and commercialize any flavor ingredients Senomyx may discover; Senomyx may be unable to develop flavor ingredients useful for formulation into products; development activities for new flavor ingredients may not demonstrate an acceptable safety profile; Senomyx or its collaborators may be unable to obtain and maintain the regulatory approval required for flavor ingredients to be incorporated into products that are sold; even if Senomyx or its collaborators receive a regulatory approval and incorporate Senomyx flavor ingredients into products, those products may never be commercially successful; Senomyx flavor ingredients may not be useful or cost-effective for formulation into products; Senomyx’s ability to compete in the flavor ingredients market may decline if Senomyx does not adequately protect its proprietary technologies; and the current economic environment may negatively impact Senomyx’s ability to establish new collaborations and to maintain existing product discovery and development collaborations on acceptable terms. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Senomyx’s most recently filed SEC documents, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K under the headings “Risks Related to Our Business” and “Risks Related to Our Industry.” All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Senomyx undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made

News Source : SENOMYX ANNOUNCES RECENT PROGRESS IN SWEET ENHANCER AND BITTER BLOCKER PROGRAMS