New Cancer Therapy Results with Bispecific Antibodies Reported By Immunomedics At U.S. Cancer Research Meeting
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PR Newswire - April 14, 1999 08:14
MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunomedics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMMU) announced today that its scientists, in collaboration with researchers at the Garden State Cancer Center, Belleville, NJ, and Immunotech SA, Marseille, France, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter Corp. (NYSE: BEC), reported their progress in the development of a new cancer therapy at the 90th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research being held this week in Philadelphia, PA.
The research group described a two-step method whereby a cancer is targeted with an unlabeled, bispecific antibody, and the therapeutic radioisotope is given later attached to a carrier that is recognized by the bispecific antibody. Until now, such bispecific antibodies were of mouse origin, but the Immunomedics team has now constructed the bispecific antibody as a human/mouse hybrid as a prelude to a fully humanized antibody. A fully humanized bispecific antibody is preferred for repeated therapy injections, since it is less immunogenic to patients than a mouse antibody. In the experiments reported, the humanized antibody against carcinoembryonic antigen, hMN-14, which comprises the Immunomedics' CEA-Cide(TM) product in clinical trials, was used as half of the bispecific antibody.
In pre-clinical experiments involving transplants of human colonic cancer, the 2-step pretargeting method showed a higher tumor uptake of the radioisotope at a markedly higher ratio compared to normal tissues than when a single-step, radiolabeled monospecific antibody is given.
According to Dr. Hans J. Hansen, one of the authors of this paper and Vice President of Research & Development at Immunomedics: "We showed that an imaging and therapeutic isotope combination, Tc-99m and Re-188, could function in this new system for detecting and treating cancers, but at much higher doses delivered more specifically to the cancers than we and others have experienced with prior methods involving radiolabeled monospecific antibodies."
"This new targeting and therapy system is being prepared for clinical trials by Immunomedics' joint venture with Beckman Coulter Corp., IBC Pharmaceuticals, LLC, which licensed the applicable patents from Immunotech SA, and which is now setting up operations in New Jersey and Marseilles, France," Dr. Hansen added. He further stated that "this basic 2-step, pretargeting method has been applied successfully in France in the imaging and therapy of about 300 cancer patients, thus awaiting the availability of our new, humanized, bispecific antibodies for clinical trials."
Immunomedics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic products for the detection and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Integral to these products are highly specific monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments designed to deliver radioisotopes and chemotherapeutic agents to tumors and sites of infection. The Company's first product, CEA- Scan(R) for the detection of colorectal cancer, is being marketed in the United States and Europe (approved in Canada). The Company's second diagnostic imaging product, LeukoScan(R), is being marketed in Europe for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis (bone infection). This product is presently under regulatory review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Immunomedics also has several other diagnostic imaging products and two therapeutic products in clinical trials.
This release, in addition to historical information, contains certain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirement/actions), competitive risks to marketed products and availability of financing and other sources of capital as well as those discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 1998.
CONTACT: Cynthia Sullivan, Executive Vice President, 973-605-8200, extension 109. Visit the Company website @ immunomedics.com and cea-scan.com.
SOURCE Immunomedics, Inc.
/CONTACT: Cynthia Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Immunomedics,
Inc., 973-605-8200, ext. 109/
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