XOMA Suspends HepeX-B(TM) Work Following Cubist Decision
Friday July 28, 4:17 pm ET
XOMA in Talks with Cubist on HepeX-B Future
BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2006--XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA - News) today announced that, in light of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s (Nasdaq:CBST - News) recently announced decision to cease investment in its HepeX-B(TM) product because of stringent FDA requirements for regulatory approval, XOMA has placed its production process development work for Cubist on hold and has issued a notice of contract termination to Cubist. Cubist and XOMA have begun discussions to consider other development options for HepeX-B.
In September of 2005, XOMA and Cubist signed a letter agreement under which XOMA's extensive antibody development and manufacturing capabilities were to be used to develop new processes to manufacture HepeX-B. HepeX-B is a combination of two fully human monoclonal antibodies that target the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface. The product, which has been granted Orphan Drug Status in both the U.S. and the European Union, has been under evaluation for the prevention of HBV re-infection in liver transplant patients.
About XOMA
XOMA is a leader in the discovery, development and manufacture of therapeutic antibodies, with a therapeutic focus that includes cancer and immune diseases. XOMA has royalty interests in RAPTIVA® (efalizumab), a monoclonal antibody product marketed worldwide (by Genentech, Inc. and Serono, SA) to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and LUCENTIS(TM) (ranibizumab injection), a monoclonal antibody product marketed worldwide (by Genentech and Novartis AG) to treat neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration.
The company has built a premier antibody discovery and development platform that includes access to seven of the leading commercially available antibody phage display libraries and XOMA's proprietary Human Engineering(TM) and bacterial cell expression (BCE) technologies. More than 45 companies have signed BCE licenses. XOMA's development collaborators include Lexicon Genetics, Inc., Novartis, and Schering-Plough Corp. With a fully integrated product development infrastructure, XOMA's product development capabilities extend from preclinical sciences to product launch. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.xoma.com. |
