AGEN printed a new high above mkt a sec ago at 21 1/8th, lol. Nice pr this morning:
Wednesday April 5, 9:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Antigenics Inc.
Clinical Data on Antigenics' Cancer Drug Presented at AACR
NEW YORK, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Antigenics Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN - news) today announced the release of data from a
Phase I/II melanoma clinical trial of the company's cancer vaccine, Oncophage©. Dr. Omar Eton of the M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston presented the results at the annual conference of the American Association of Cancer Research in San Francisco.
All 36 patients enrolled in the trial were diagnosed with Stage IV or advanced Stage III melanoma. No serious toxicities were experienced after the patients received
Oncophage. The company's cancer vaccine is a purified protein made from the patients' tumors that are removed through routine surgery. Oncophage was
administered to melanoma patients once a week for four weeks by injection in an outpatient setting. Patients in this trial did not receive concurrent chemotherapy nor
other cancer treatments, although such treatments are not restricted for use with Oncophage.
``If one were to look at the data strictly from a Phase I trial perspective for feasibility, safety and tolerance, the results are superb,' said Dr. Eton the M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center and the trial's principal investigator. `` In addition, we are also very encouraged by the high percentage of disease free patients in the trial so far.'
Nineteen out of 20 patients (95 percent) with adjuvant disease are alive with a median follow-up of 14 months, and of those, 15 patients (75 percent) are disease
free.
``The high rate of disease-free patients in the adjuvant setting is consistent with what we have seen in our other trials and in pre-clinical models,' said Garo H.
Armen, chairman and CEO of Antigenics. ``This trial has also shown that a personalized drug for cancer such as Oncophage is demonstrated to be feasible, safe and
easy to administer.'
Melanoma is by far the most serious skin cancer, which is also the most common of all cancer types. It is one of the few cancers for which the number of those
diagnosed in the United States is increasing. Since 1973, the incidence rate for melanoma has doubled. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 47,700
new melanoma will be diagnosed in the US during 2000 and about 7700 deaths will result from the disease.
Antigenics is engaged in the discovery and development of a family of novel immunotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of life-threatening and chronic medical
conditions. The company's immunotherapeutics are based on a specific class of proteins known as heat shock proteins and their ability to modulate the immune
system. The company's immunotherapeutics include cancer products in the newly emerging field of personalized medicine. In addition, Antigenics product portfolio
includes drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases, such as genital herpes, and autoimmune disorders, such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, that do not require
personalized therapies. The company is currently evaluating its lead immunotherapeutic, Oncophage©, in seven separate Phase II or Phase I/II clinical trials in five
different cancers, and anticipates starting a pivotal clinical trial by mid-2000. Based upon Antigenics' scientific and drug development skill, its technology platform
and strategic expertise, the company plans to establish a leadership position in drug discovery, development and commercialization. For more information about the
company visit antigenics.com
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Various factors could cause actual results to differ materially from
those projected in forward-looking statements, including those predicting the timing of clinical trials, the efficacy of products or the availability of capital. Although the
Company believes that the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the Company's expectations are correct. All
forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These factors are more fully discussed in the Company's periodic
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE: Antigenics Inc. |
