SAN DIEGO, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IDM Pharma, Inc. (IDM) (Nasdaq: IDMI) today announced it is providing an educational grant to support a satellite symposium on the role of Junovan (L-MTP-PE) in the treatment of osteosarcoma to be held in conjunction with the 37th Conference of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology
[Apart from everything else, it appears that the IDM-Epimmune merger has now been completed].
The symposium is scheduled for Friday, September 23, 2005 from 12:30-2:00PM PDT at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, Parkview Terrace in Vancouver, Canada, and will include presentations and a panel discussion. The distinguished faculty for the symposium, sponsored by The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, are Eugenie S. Kleinerman, M.D. of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Ian J. Lewis, M.D. from the St. James University Hospital, Leeds, UK, Paul A. Meyers, M.D. from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and David M. Vail, DVM from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.
About SIOP
SIOP (Societe Internationale d'Oncologie Pediatrique; International Society of Pediatric Oncology) is the major global organization concerned with the issues of children and young people who have cancer. For the past 35 years it has brought together doctors of many different disciplines to develop better care for this disease.
About Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a bone tumor that occurs predominantly in adolescents and young adults. It is the most common form of bone cancer and accounts for approximately 5% of all childhood tumors. There are approximately 900 new cases of osteosarcoma per year in each of the United States and Europe.
About Junovan
Junovan is a liposomal formulation of MTP-PE (Muramyl Tripeptide Phosphatidylethanolamine) specifically designed for in vivo targeting of macrophages by intravenous infusion. It is a fully synthetic derivative of muramyl dipeptide, a naturally occurring component of bacterial cell walls. Junovan has been evaluated in multiple Phase II trials and a Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of osteosarcoma. The Phase III trial was the largest ever published in osteosarcoma and demonstrated improvement in disease-free and overall survival among patients with on-metastatic, resectable osteosarcoma, who were treated with L-MTP-PE, corresponding to a relative reduction in the risk of recurrence of 25% and a relative reduction in the risk of death of 30%. Adverse events associated with the use of Junovan are generally mild to moderate and thought to be associated with its biological activity. Severe adverse events in the Phase III study were those typically associated with high dose multiple-drug chemotherapy, which was used together with Junovan in the Phase III trial.
L-MTP-PE (Junovan) for the treatment of osteosarcoma is IDM's lead product candidate. Junovan has received Orphan Drug Status in both the U.S. and EU, and the Company is working with U.S. and EU regulatory agencies regarding the appropriate pathway for product marketing approval. The Company expects to receive regulatory approval for Junovan in the U.S. and EU in 2007.
About IDM
IDM is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative products that activate the immune system to treat cancer and infectious disease. IDM is currently developing three types of products: the first is designed to destroy cancer cells by activating innate immunity, the second to prevent tumor recurrence by triggering a specific adaptive immune response, and the third to treat chronic infectious disease with therapeutic vaccines.
IDM currently has 7 products in clinical development. The most advanced product, Junovan(TM), has completed a Phase III clinical trial in osteosarcoma. Three products are in Phase II clinical trials in bladder cancer, melanoma and lung cancer, and three are in Phase I in colorectal cancer, hepatitis B and HIV infection.
IDM has major product development partnerships with SANOFI-AVENTIS in cancer immunotherapy, and with INNOGENETICS in vaccine development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C and papilloma virus infection. MEDAREX and SANOFI-AVENTIS are corporate partners and shareholders of IDM since 1993 and 2001 respectively.
For more information, visit idm-pharma.com. |
