29th May 2007 07:03
Oxford Biomedica PLC29 May 2007 For Immediate Release 29 MAY 2007 OXFORD BIOMEDICA AND COLLABORATORS TO PRESENT TROVAX(R) PHASE II TRIAL RESULTS IN RENAL CANCER AT AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY MEETING Oxford, UK: 29 May 2007: Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapycompany, and its clinical collaborators are scheduled to deliver a posterpresentation describing results from Phase II trials of TroVax in renal cancerat the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be heldon 1-5 June in Chicago, Illinois. TroVax is the Company's lead cancerimmunotherapy product, which is being developed in collaboration withsanofi-aventis. The presentation will include new data from two ongoing Phase II trials ofTroVax. The trials are being conducted by clinicians at the Methodist Hospitalin Houston, Texas, and are part of Oxford BioMedica's and sanofi-aventis' broaddevelopment programme for TroVax, which includes the ongoing, multi-centre PhaseIII TRIST study in renal cancer. Over 50 patients have been enrolled to date inthe Methodist Hospital's Phase II trials of TroVax in renal cancer. The trialsare designed to evaluate TroVax either as a single agent, or in combination witheither interleukin-2 or interferon-alpha. The new data will include an update ontumour response rates, time to progression and survival. Details of thepresentation are as follows: Session: Developmental Therapeutics: Immunotherapy. Sunday, 3 June 2007 8:00 AM- 12:00 PM, S Hall 2 at McCormick Place, Chicago. Activity of MVA 5T4 alone or in combination with either interleukin-2 orinterferon-alpha in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (Abstract #3069) The abstract may be accessed online at http://www.asco.org at the conclusion ofthe meeting. -Ends- For further information, please contact:Oxford BioMedica plc: Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000City/Financial Enquiries: Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000Buchanan CommunicationsScientific/Trade Press Enquiries: Gemma Price/ Holly Griffiths/ Katja Stout Tel: +44 (0)20 7268 3002 Northbank Communications Notes to editors 1. Oxford BioMedica Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in thedevelopment and commercialisation of novel therapeutic vaccines and gene-basedtherapies with a focus on oncology and neurotherapy. The Company was establishedin 1995 as a spin-out from Oxford University, and is listed on the London StockExchange. The Company has a platform of gene delivery technologies, which are based onhighly engineered viral systems. Oxford BioMedica also has in-house clinical,regulatory and manufacturing know-how. In oncology, the lead product candidateis TroVax(R), an immunotherapy for multiple solid cancers, which is licensed tosanofi-aventis for global development and commercialisation. A Phase III trialof TroVax in renal cancer is ongoing and sanofi-aventis is implementing adevelopment plan for colorectal cancer. Oxford BioMedica's oncology pipelineincludes a specific immunotherapy candidate, Hi-8(R) MEL, for melanoma, whichhas completed two clinical trials. In neurotherapy, the Company's lead product,ProSavin(R), is expected to enter clinical development for Parkinson's diseasein 2007. The neurotherapy pipeline also includes preclinical gene-basedtherapeutics for vision loss, motor neuron disease and nerve repair. Inaddition, the Company has a platform technology for therapeutic vaccines forinfectious diseases. The Company is underpinned by over 80 patent families, which represent one ofthe broadest patent estates in the field. The Company has a staff ofapproximately 75 split between its main facilities in Oxford and its whollyowned subsidiary, BioMedica Inc, in San Diego, California. Corporate partnersinclude sanofi-aventis for TroVax and Wyeth for a targeted antibody therapy. TheCompany also has collaborations with Intervet, Sigma-Aldrich, Viragen, MolMedand Virxsys. Technology licensees include Merck & Co, Biogen Idec,GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk 2. TroVax(R) TroVax is Oxford BioMedica's leading cancer immunotherapy product, which isbeing developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis. It is designedspecifically to stimulate an anti-cancer immune response and has potentialapplication in most solid tumour types. TroVax targets the tumour antigen 5T4,which is broadly distributed throughout a wide range of solid tumours. Thepresence of 5T4 is correlated with poor prognosis. The product consists of apoxvirus (MVA) gene transfer system, which delivers the gene for 5T4 andstimulates a patient's body to produce an anti-5T4 immune response. This immuneresponse destroys tumour cells carrying the 5T4. In 2006, Oxford BioMedica started a Phase III trial of TroVax in renal cancerand sanofi-aventis is implementing a development plan for colorectal cancer. Theproduct has attracted support from Cancer Research UK, the US National CancerInstitute, and the UK clinical trials network, QUASAR. These organisations areconducting or plan to conduct clinical trials with TroVax. 3. Sanofi-aventis Sanofi-aventis is one of the world leaders in the pharmaceutical industry,ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D organisation,sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas:cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervoussystem, internal medicine and vaccines. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris(EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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