CHEMGENEX PHARMACEUTICALS RECEIVES EUROPEAN ALLOWANCE FOR CANCER DRUG PATENT
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals has received notice of allowance for a European patent covering the use of its drug Quinamed® (amonafide dihydrochloride) as a drug to boost the effect of existing cancer therapies.
Quinamed® – currently in Phase II trials for the treatment of prostate cancer in the U.S. – has been shown in studies to improve the effects of current chemotherapeutics drugs.
MELBOURNE, Australia, and MENLO PARK, California U.S.A. (February 17, 2005)
ChemGenex today announced that it received a Notice of Allowance from the European Patent Office (EPO) for its patent application entitled "Compositions Containing Naphthalimide and an Antiproliferative Agent." This patent will cover compositions and methods of use of the company's investigational agent, amonafide dihydrochloride (Quinamed®), to improve or "chemopotentiate" the anti-cancer effects of common chemotherapeutics, including cisplatin, paclitaxel, vinblastine and camptothecin.
Quinamed® is currently undergoing Phase II human clinical testing as a potential treatment for hormone refractory prostate cancer. Although currently approved antiproliferative agents offer therapeutic activity against many forms of cancers, improvements in tumor response rates, duration of response and ultimately patient survival are still sought for these agents. ChemGenex researchers have determined that naphthalimides and analogs of the class of compounds, including Quinamed®, can potentiate the antitumor effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, in particular, agents affecting the integrity of nucleic acids such as DNA.
"ChemGenex has filed numerous patents covering amonafide compositions, formulations, synthesis and uses," said Greg Collier, Ph.D., chief executive officer of ChemGenex. "This initial patent will provide protection for the longer term use of Quinamed® in conjunction with other agents. Other patent applications cover the composition of matter for amonafide dihydrochloride, and for a variety of other amonafide salts created with organic acids.”
About ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical development company dedicated to improving the lives of patients by developing therapeutics in the areas of oncology, diabetes, obesity, and depression. ChemGenex harnesses the power of genomics for target discovery and validation, and in clinical trials to develop more individualized therapeutic outcomes. ChemGenex's lead compound, Ceflatonin®, is currently in phase 2/3 clinical trials for chronic myeloid leukemia and Quinamed® is in phase 2 clinical development for prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. The company has a significant portfolio of anti-cancer, diabetes, obesity and depression programs, several of which have been partnered with international pharmaceutical companies. ChemGenex currently trades on the Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "CXS" and on NASDAQ under the symbol "CXSP".
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