Tuesday August 21, 7:00 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: InterMune, Inc.
InterMune Completes Target Enrollment for Phase III Trial of Actimmune for The Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Critical Milestone Reached in Company's Efforts to Bring First Effective IPF Treatment to Market
BRISBANE, Calif., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN - news) today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase III clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Actimmune® (Interferon gamma-1b) for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
``Completion of enrollment in our Phase III study for IPF marks the achievement of a critical milestone, not just for InterMune, but for patients suffering from this deadly disease,'' said James Pennington, M.D., Executive Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs for InterMune. ``This accomplishment is a tribute to the investigator sites, working together with InterMune's clinical team and field specialists, who helped to enroll this trial.'' All patients in the study are scheduled to complete therapy in August 2002, with the final results available in November 2002.
``We are very pleased to be on track with our stated corporate goal for this important study,'' said W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., President and CEO of InterMune. ``IPF represents a $2.5 billion market opportunity for InterMune in the United States, and an additional $1.5 billion market opportunity for InterMune and our strategic partner, Boehringer Ingelheim, in the rest of the world.''
IPF is a life-threatening disease characterized by progressive scarring, or fibrosis of the lungs, which ultimately leads to respiratory failure. The prognosis is poor for patients with IPF and the median life span is three to five years from the time of diagnosis. There are approximately 50,000 patients in the United States suffering from IPF, which occurs primarily in persons 40 to 70 years old. Actimmune® is the first and only drug to have shown promise as a treatment for IPF in a Phase II clinical trial.
InterMune is developing and commercializing innovative products for the treatment of serious pulmonary and infectious diseases and cancer. InterMune markets its lead product, Actimmune®, for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and severe, malignant osteopetrosis. InterMune is currently conducting a Phase III clinical trial with Actimmune® for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). InterMune is also conducting or planning clinical trials of Actimmune® for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB), atypical mycobacterial infections, ovarian cancer, cryptococcal meningitis, cystic fibrosis, liver fibrosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. InterMune recently acquired rights to Infergen®, which is marketed in the United States and Canada for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infections. InterMune also markets Amphotec® worldwide for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis. |
