Introgen Presents Biomarker Data Demonstrating Abnormal p53 Predicts ADVEXIN Efficacy in Head and Neck, Lung, Prostate and Li-Fraumeni Cancers
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Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:INGN) today reported the results of
new data analysis from multiple Phase 2 clinical studies showing a
statistically significant correlation between the abnormal p53 biomarker
and tumor response after treatment with ADVEXIN in patients with head
and neck, lung, prostate and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome cancers. These data
were presented at the Mary Crowley Medical Research Center Conference on
Cancer Gene Therapy in Dallas.
The Company will utilize these biomarker findings for its ongoing
analyses of its randomized Phase 3 trial comparing ADVEXIN therapy to
methotrexate for the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancer. Prior
to the initiation of the Phase 3 analyses, the Company gained consent
from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to amend the ADVEXIN
Investigational New Drug Application and Statistical Analysis Plan to
include analyses of patient populations identified by the abnormal p53
biomarker. These prospective analyses and evaluations will be included
in the ADVEXIN U.S. and international regulatory submissions.
"These findings provide important support for
our regulatory filings,” said Max W. Talbott,
Ph.D., Introgen’s senior vice president of
Worldwide Commercial Development and Regulatory Affairs. "They
provide further justification for incorporating p53 biomarker analyses
in our regulatory submissions for recurrent head and neck cancer in the
United States and will advance our European Union application for
ADVEXIN in Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, an inherited cancer disorder
characterized by the development of multiple tumor types with abnormal
p53.”
In 54 late-stage cancer patient samples evaluated from the Company’s
Phase 2 studies, tumor response after ADVEXIN monotherapy was observed
in 35 percent of patients with the abnormal p53 biomarker and all tumor
responses occurred in the abnormal p53 biomarker group (p = 0.0013). The
majority of these patients had recurrent disease after receiving
standard therapies.
Introgen has previously reported study results demonstrating a
statistically significant correlation between the abnormal p53 biomarker
and increased survival after ADVEXIN therapy in head and neck cancer
patients.
"The results presented today confirm and
extend previous biomarker data correlating the abnormal p53 biomarker
with increased tumor responses following ADVEXIN treatment and support
its use as a biomarker to predict ADVEXIN efficacy,”
said John Nemunaitis, M.D., a principal investigator of the studies and
executive director of the Mary Crowley Medical Research Center. "Importantly,
the data from multiple tumor types indicate an absolute correlation of
tumor response and abnormal p53 as 100 percent of the responding tumors
had the abnormal p53 biomarker.” About ADVEXIN
ADVEXIN p53 therapy is a targeted molecular therapy with broad
applicability in a wide range of tumor types and clinical settings
because it targets one of the most fundamental and common molecular
defects, abnormal p53 tumor suppressor function, associated with cancer
initiation, progression and treatment resistance. Introgen believes that
ADVEXIN has demonstrated increased survival and tumor growth control in
recurrent head and neck cancer patients. In addition, ADVEXIN has
demonstrated clinical activity in a number of solid tumor types in
multiple phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials conducted worldwide. Introgen’s
first clinical trial was initiated in 1995 and approximately 30 clinical
trials have been conducted to date in more than ten different oncology
indications. Neither ADVEXIN nor any of Introgen’s
other adenovirus products have ever been put on clinical hold by FDA or
other regulators due to safety concerns or for any other reason.
About Introgen Therapeutics, Inc.
Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on
the development, manufacturing and commercialization of targeted tumor
suppressors, a new class of therapies for the treatment of cancer.
Introgen’s technology delivers targeted
molecular therapies that increase production of normal cancer-fighting
proteins and cytokines. The Company is developing a proprietary pipeline
of product candidates utilizing molecular biomarkers to identify
patients most likely to benefit from its therapies which target central
cancer-causing mechanisms. ADVEXIN®, its lead
product candidate, targets abnormal p53, a fundamental cancer defect
present in over 50 percent of all tumors. Introgen is analyzing its
phase 3 clinical trial for recurrent head and neck cancer using ADVEXIN
as a monotherapy. The Company plans to complete regulatory filings in
both the United States and in Europe by the end of 2007.
Statements in this release that are not strictly historical may be "forward-looking”
statements, including those relating to Introgen’s
future success with its ADVEXIN clinical development program for
treatment of cancer. The actual results may differ from those described
in this release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in Introgen’s
operations and business environment, including Introgen’s
stage of product development and the limited experience in the
development of gene-based drugs in general, dependence upon proprietary
technology and the current competitive environment, history of operating
losses and accumulated deficits, reliance on collaborative
relationships, and uncertainties related to clinical trials, the safety
and efficacy of Introgen’s product
candidates, the ability to obtain the appropriate regulatory approvals,
Introgen’s patent protection and market
acceptance, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Introgen’s
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its
filings on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Introgen undertakes no obligation to
publicly release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking
statements that reflect events or circumstances arising after the date
hereof.
Editor's Note: For more information on Introgen Therapeutics, or for a
menu of archived press releases, please visit Introgen’s
Website at: www.introgen.com.