New Clofarabine Data Presented at European Haematology Association Meeting; Durable, High Response Rates Achieved with Clofarabi
03 June 2005 - 9:00PM
Business Wire
Bioenvision (Nasdaq: BIVNE) announced that results from clinical
trials of clofarabine in adult AML were presented at the 10th
European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
In the National Cancer Research Institute, UK (NCRI) multi-center
study of older patients with AML who were unsuitable for intensive
chemotherapy, the overall response for clofarabine was 67%. Eleven
(42%) patients in this trial had abnormal cytogenetics, and of
these 5 (45%) achieved a complete response (CR) with clofarabine.
For patients with "normal" cytogenetic profile, the CR was 73%. In
addition, the median duration of remission in patients responding
to clofarabine is currently 9.5+ months. Professor Alan Burnett,
chief investigator of the NCRI study, commented. "the prognosis for
all the patients included in this study is poor but clofarabine has
achieved an excellent and durable response, even in the high-risk
population." Clofarabine's potential as the next generation of
leukemia treatment was a focal point during a symposium led by
specialists from the internationally recognized MD Anderson Cancer
Research Center (MDACC), Houston, Texas. Dr. Stefan Faderl,
presented data from five investigator-sponsored studies of
clofarabine in adult AML that were conducted at the MDACC. In one
of these studies, Clofarabine as first line treatment in adult AML
provided a CR of 52% (31/60) and an overall response of 60% 36/60).
A new randomized Phase II study in first-line patients was
conducted at MDACC and presented for the first time in Europe. This
investigator-sponsored study supported by our co-development
partner, Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ), compared clofarabine
as a single agent versus clofarabine in combination with low-dose
ara-C in patients greater than or equal to 60 years (median age 72
years) and showed that clofarabine as a single agent achieved a CR
of 45% (5/11) and clofarabine in combination with low-dose ara-C
achieved a CR of 60% (12/20). About Clofarabine Clofarabine is a
next generation of the drug class, purine nucleoside analogs that
inhibit DNA production necessary for cancer cell growth.
Bioenvision and Genzyme are co-developing clofarabine. Bioenvision
holds an exclusive worldwide license to clofarabine (outside Japan
and Southeast Asia). Bioenvision granted an exclusive sublicense to
Genzyme to develop and commercialize clofarabine for cancer
indications in the United States and Canada. Bioenvision holds an
exclusive license in the US and Canada to all non-cancer
indications and an exclusive, irrevocable option to develop and
market clofarabine for all human applications in Japan and
Southeast Asia. Bioenvision originally obtained clofarabine
development and commercialization rights under patents held by
Southern Research Institute. Clofarabine has been granted orphan
drug designation for the treatment of adult and pediatric ALL and
AML in the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S., orphan drug status extends
market exclusivity for seven years. The FDA also recently granted
an additional six months market exclusivity to clofarabine under
the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act. In Europe, the
designation provides marketing exclusivity for 10 years. About
Bioenvision Bioenvision's primary focus is the acquisition,
development and distribution of compounds and technologies for the
treatment of cancer. Bioenvision has a broad pipeline of products
for the treatment of cancer, including: Clofarabine (in
co-development with Genzyme Corporation), Modrenal(R) (for which
Bioenvision has obtained regulatory approval for marketing in the
United Kingdom for the treatment of post-menopausal breast cancer
following relapse to initial hormone therapy), and other products
in clinical trials. Bioenvision is also developing anti-infective
technologies, including the OLIGON technology; an advanced
biomaterial that has been incorporated into various FDA approved
medical devices. For more information on Bioenvision please visit
our Web site at www.bioenvision.com. Certain statements contained
herein are "forward-looking" statements (as such term is defined in
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because
these statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results
may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Specifically, factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
risks associated with preclinical and clinical developments in the
biopharmaceutical industry in general and in Bioenvision's
compounds under development in particular; the potential failure of
Bioenvision's compounds under development to prove safe and
effective for treatment of disease; uncertainties inherent in the
early stage of Bioenvision's compounds under development; failure
to successfully implement or complete clinical trials; failure to
receive marketing clearance from regulatory agencies for our
compounds under development; acquisitions, divestitures, mergers,
licenses or strategic initiatives that change Bioenvision's
business, structure or projections; the development of competing
products; uncertainties related to Bioenvision's dependence on
third parties and partners; and those risks described in
Bioenvision's filings with the SEC. Bioenvision disclaims any
obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
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