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To: Icebrg who wrote (642)1/13/2003 11:18:16 AM
From: nigel bates  Respond to of 2240
 
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and SWIFTWATER, Pa., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Eos Biotechnology and Aventis Pasteur today announced that a two-year collaboration to identify unique cancer vaccine targets has resulted in Aventis Pasteur exercising its options to develop up to five of these targets. Under terms of the agreement, Aventis Pasteur is granted the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize vaccines using these unique targets discovered by Eos Biotechnology.

Using its proprietary technologies and integrated genomics-based approach, Eos analyzed selected cancer tissues and identified intracellular targets that could enable the development of safe and effective cancer vaccines. Aventis Pasteur will apply its recognized expertise and resources to pre-clinical and clinical development, and to the commercialization of developed products. Eos' own extended therapeutic programs are focused on developing antibodies, and Aventis Pasteur's approach continues to focus on vaccines.

"The exercise of these options signals Aventis Pasteur's commitment to leverage high quality genomic information in the development of new and improved vaccines," said Neil Berinstein, M.D., Assistant Vice President, Clinical Oncology, Program Director, Cancer for Aventis Pasteur.

David Martin, M.D., CEO, Eos Biotechnology said, "We are very pleased that Aventis Pasteur has exercised its options to continue the pursuit of these unique cancer vaccine targets, which may play a critical role in the creation of effective vaccines against this important disease. Aventis Pasteur is the company with the experience and resources to make cancer vaccines a reality."

About Aventis Pasteur:

Aventis Pasteur SA is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. In 2001, Aventis Pasteur produced 1.3 billion doses of vaccine, making it possible to protect 500 million people across the globe, which is over one million per day. The company offers the broadest range of vaccines, providing protection against 19 bacterial and viral diseases. Based in Lyon, France, Aventis Pasteur is owned by Aventis SA.

The company is a leader in the research and development of therapeutic vaccines for cancer. The two leading cancer vaccines currently in clinical development are for colorectal cancer and melanoma, and the company is actively pursuing additional cancer targets. The corporation's global cancer vaccine program is anchored in Canada.

Aventis (NYSE: AVE - News) is dedicated to improving life by treating and preventing human disease through the discovery and development of innovative prescription drugs for important therapeutic areas as well as human vaccines. In 2001, Aventis generated sales of euro 17.7 billion, invested euro 3 billion in research and development and employed approximately 75,000 people in its core business. Aventis corporate headquarters are in Strasbourg, France. For more information, please visit www.aventis.com and www.aventispasteur.com

About Eos:

Eos is a privately held biotechnology company based in South San Francisco. Using its proprietary, leading-edge genomic technologies and best-of-breed research tools, the company has developed an integrated approach for identifying novel disease targets and developing highly specific antibodies against them. The company's first therapeutic antibody IND, for Eos200-4, was filed last year, and the antibody is directed against a cellular target molecule identified by the company's proprietary genomics platform. Eos has a pipeline of over 30 other therapeutic targets and in many cases, cognate antibodies rapidly moving towards the clinic. Eos expects to continue to develop some of these outright and others in partnership with biopharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.eosbiotech.com



To: Icebrg who wrote (642)1/27/2003 4:36:18 AM
From: Icebrg  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 2240
 
US FDA APPROVES GENMAB’S IND FOR HUMAX-CD4 TO TREAT LYMPHOMA

TWO PHASE II STUDIES INITIATED

Resume: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Genmab’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to begin two Phase II clinical studies using HuMax-CD4 to treat T-cell lymphomas.

Copenhagen, Denmark; January 27, 2003 – Genmab A/S (CSE: GEN) announced today that the US FDA has approved the start of two Phase II open label studies using HuMax-CD4 to treat a form of cancer known as Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL).

About the studies

Genmab will run two studies concurrently, each with an initial 12 patients. One study will focus on refractory patients and the other will be for patients with persistent early stage disease. In both studies patients will receive a 280 mg dose of HuMax-CD4 once a week for 16 weeks. Patients will be followed for at least four weeks after the end of treatment or until disease progression. The objective of the studies is to determine the efficacy and safety of HuMax-CD4 in the treatment of CTCL.

“There is an unmet medical need for therapies to help patients who suffer from CTCL, a disease that is both debilitating and eventually life threatening,” said Lisa N. Drakeman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. “With these trials, we continue our work on products that may help patients who currently have a significant need for treatment alternatives.”

About T-cell lymphomas and CTCL

T-cell lymphomas positive for the CD4 receptor constitute around 5% of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphomas.

CTCL is one group of CD4+ lymphomas. This type of lymphoma expresses the CD4 receptor which can be targeted by Genmab’s HuMax-CD4 antibody. CTCL is a highly symptomatic disfiguring disease which is life threatening in the advanced stages and is incurable except at its very earliest stages.

CTCL patients tend to have a lifespan of 10 to 30 years and therefore could be treated several times during the disease progression. CTCL covers a range of diseases characterized by infiltration of the skin by malignant T-cells. This range of diseases includes Mycosis fungoides and the Sezary syndrome. Mycosis fungoides represents around 70% of all CTCLs. Most patients show symptoms even at the earliest stage of the disease with itching and susceptibility to recurrent skin infections, and the majority suffer moderate to severe cosmetic disfigurement. In several groups of CTCL patients, defective apoptosis (or programmed cell death) has been documented, which may contribute to the difficulty of killing these types of tumors. An anti-CD4 antibody that depletes CD4+ cells in vivo has the potential to induce a clinical response.

There are about 1,000 new cases of CTCL per year in the US and the prevalence of the disease is estimated at 16,000 to 20,000.