>>FOSTER CITY, Calif., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Genesys, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEGE - news) today announced that the company has received a $6 million payment following the completion of a multicenter Phase II clinical trial of GVAX® lung cancer vaccine. The payment was received from the pharmaceutical division of Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) in connection with a worldwide collaboration agreement for GVAX® lung cancer vaccines. Encouraging data from this Phase II trial demonstrating anticancer activity in advanced stage lung cancer patients were recently updated at the International Conference on Gene Therapy of Cancer. A Phase III trial of GVAX® lung cancer vaccine is expected to begin in late 2002.
The data reported in late 2001 were updated clinical results from Cell Genesys' Phase II GVAX® lung cancer vaccine trial which demonstrated a complete tumor response rate of 12 percent and a median response duration of at least 11 months in 26 patients with advanced non small-cell lung cancer who have failed chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. In addition to the responses in patients with advanced disease, eight of the ten patients with early-stage lung cancer who received GVAX® lung cancer vaccine following surgery, currently remain free of disease with a median follow up time of 12 months.
``We continue to be very encouraged by the objective evidence of antitumor activity and favorable safety profile seen with GVAX® cancer vaccines across multiple types of cancer and remain on track to initiate a Phase III trial in lung cancer late this year,'' stated Joseph J. Vallner, Ph.D., president and chief operating officer of Cell Genesys. ``Cell Genesys is in a strong financial position having ended 2001 with approximately $259 million and continues to be in a position to advance multiple clinical programs -- now seven in number -- in parallel.''
Cell Genesys is currently conducting clinical trials of GVAX® cancer vaccines in five types of cancer including lung, prostate, pancreatic, leukemia and multiple myeloma. Cell Genesys is currently testing both patient-specific and non patient-specific GVAX® vaccines since it believes that different types of cancer may benefit from treatment with one or the other type of vaccine. Non patient-specific vaccines, which can be developed as ``off-the-shelf'' pharmaceuticals, are currently being tested in patients with prostate and pancreatic cancer, whereas patient-specific vaccines are being tested in patients with lung cancer, myeloma and leukemia. GVAX® cancer vaccines have demonstrated antitumor activity in all human clinical trials reported to date and have been safely administered to well over 350 patients with a very favorable side effect profile compared to other cancer treatments.<<
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