CancerVax Files IND for Novel Anti-Angiogenic Antibody D93
CARLSBAD, CA, Mar 01, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- CancerVax Corporation (NASDAQ: CNVX), a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of biological products for the treatment of cancer, announced today that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for D93, an investigatory, humanized, monoclonal antibody with a novel anti-angiogenic and tumor inhibitory mechanism of action. Preclinical studies with D93 have demonstrated its ability to reduce angiogenesis and inhibit tumor growth in in vivo models of several types of cancer.
"Filing an IND for our D93 antibody is an important milestone for CancerVax and should strengthen the pipeline of antibody-based product candidates that would be created through the pending merger of CancerVax and Micromet," said David F. Hale, President and CEO of CancerVax Corporation. "We anticipate that, following FDA approval of the IND, we will initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of D93 later this year to evaluate its safety and tolerability in the treatment of patients with solid tumors."
D93 is a humanized, monoclonal antibody that inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels that feed rapidly growing tumors. Its mechanism of action differs from other angiogenesis inhibitors that are being evaluated in clinical trials or that have been approved by the FDA, such as Avastin(R) (bevacizumab). D93 selectively binds to targets in the extracellular matrix, a molecular network that provides structural support to tissues and regulates cellular processes such as adhesion, migration and cell growth. These targets are exposed during tumor formation, when the collagen comprising the extracellular matrix is denatured or remodeled by tumor cells.
In preclinical studies, D93 has been shown to preferentially bind to denatured collagen targets and to inhibit tumor growth in animal models of colon, melanoma, lung and breast cancer tumors. Administering D93 with Taxol(R) (paclitaxel) has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth in animal models of human breast cancer better than either treatment alone. D93 has also been shown to inhibit tumor growth in pancreatic and melanoma tumor models, and by fluorescent antibody techniques to bind preferentially to the extracellular matrix around blood vessels in tumor sections taken from patients with cancer, as compared to healthy tissues adjacent to the tumor.
About CancerVax Corporation (www.cancervax.com)
CancerVax Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel biological products for the treatment and control of cancer. The Company's leading product candidate is D93, an anti-angiogenic, humanized, monoclonal antibody. CancerVax filed an investigational new drug application and plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial with D93 in patients with solid tumors in 2006.
In January 2006, CancerVax announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Micromet, AG, a private, Munich, Germany-based biotechnology company with a focus on the development of novel, proprietary antibody-based products for cancer and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The merger, which is subject to a number of conditions, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2006. Upon closing of the transaction, the Company's shares are expected to continue to trade on the NASDAQ National Market. CancerVax will be renamed "Micromet," Inc., and application will be made to NASDAQ to change the ticker symbol to "MITI." On February 13, 2006, CancerVax filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the transaction. This registration statement contains a proxy statement/prospectus.
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