WALTHAM, Mass., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical
Corporation (Nasdaq: IMUL) announced today that the Company has initiated a
Phase I clinical study for its cocaine vaccine product. The study is designed
to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in thirty cocaine-
abstinent patients living in a residential treatment facility. The trial will
be completed in the fourth quarter of 1998. A follow-up study to assess the
duration of the immune response will be completed in the second quarter of
1999.
"The vaccine is designed to induce specific antibodies that bind cocaine
in the bloodstream and limit the amount of drug that can enter the brain,"
said J. Joseph Marr, M.D., President and Chief Operating Officer. "It has
been shown in animal models that immunization with the cocaine vaccine leads
to a reduction in drug-seeking behavior. We expect that immunized patients
will display a similar response. The vaccine is intended to be used as part
of a comprehensive treatment program to prevent relapse. We hope that this
vaccine will provide effective therapy for the treatment of the serious
disease of cocaine addiction."
The phase I study is funded in part by a $2.2 million award from the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The funding was received through
NIDA's SPIRCAP program, a program specifically designed to support the
clinical evaluation of new pharmacotherapies for cocaine addiction.
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company,
located in Waltham, Massachusetts, focused on the development of vaccines for
substance abuse and reagents for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies.
The Company's press releases are available through Company News on Call by fax
at 800-758-5804, ext. 114501, and on the Internet at http://www.prnewswire.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a
number of risks and uncertainties. Among the most important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements are delays in product development, failure to
obtain required regulatory approvals, and the risk factors detailed in the
Company's 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997.
SOURCE ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation
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Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or
fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 114501
CONTACT:
Investor Relations of ImmuLogic
Pharmaceutical Corporation, 781-466-6000
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