PLANTATION, Fla., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viragen, Inc.
(Amex: VRA) today announced that data from a Phase II/III clinical study that
evaluated Multiferon(R), natural human alpha interferon, for the adjuvant
treatment of malignant melanoma has been accepted for presentation at the 2005
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The meeting will
take place in Orlando, Florida, May 13-17.
Presentation details are as follows:
* Poster Exhibition
Sunday, May 15, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Level 2, Hall F3, Poster 8
Principal Investigator: Rudolf Stadler, M.D., Department of
Dermatology, Academic Medical Centre, Minden, Germany
Title: "Long Term Survival Benefit after Adjuvant Treatment of High
Risk Cutaneous Melanoma with Dacarbazine and Low Dose Natural Interferon
Alpha: A Controlled, Randomized, Multi-Center Trial"
* Poster Discussion
Sunday, May 15, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Level 2, 240A
In the evening, Viragen will host an invitation-only event at which
Professor Doctor Stadler will discuss the study results, which, after seven
years of follow-up, showed a statistically significant increase in overall
survival for high-risk patients (Stage IIb, IIIa, IIIb) treated with adjuvant
dacarbazine (DTIC) followed by Multiferon(R), compared to patients with no
adjuvant treatment. Viragen recently filed an application in Sweden to seek
expanded approval for Multiferon(R) to include the first-line adjuvant
treatment of high-risk malignant melanoma.
About Malignant Melanoma:
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, accounting for more than
50% of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for approximately 4% of skin cancer
cases but causes 79% of skin cancer deaths. About 132,000 people worldwide
are diagnosed with melanoma each year, and more than 37,000 die from the
disease annually. According to "Decision Resources," current pharmaceutical
therapies are extremely toxic and ineffective in the majority of patients.
Any emerging therapy that can bring modest improvements in overall survival
and tolerability will revolutionize the treatment of malignant melanoma.
"Decision Resources" reports that the current worldwide melanoma
therapeutics market is estimated at $437 million and is expected to exceed
$1.1 billion worldwide by 2013.
About Alpha Interferon:
The majority of alpha interferons that are marketed are single-subtype
recombinant interferons. Therapy resistance is not unusual with recombinant
interferons, with a significant percentage of patients failing to respond. In
some instances, recombinant interferon is rejected by the patient's immune
system, possibly the result of the formation of neutralizing antibodies, which
may lead to a loss of clinical efficacy. Also, many patients cannot tolerate
the adverse side effects sometimes associated with recombinant therapy,
especially when applied in such high doses as they are approved for melanoma
treatment.
About Multiferon(R):
Multiferon(R) is a highly purified, multi-subtype, natural alpha
interferon derived from human white blood cells. Marketed as "the natural
choice" in several international markets for the first-line or rescue therapy
of a broad range of infectious diseases and cancers, it is Viragen's goal to
make Multiferon(R) the most widely prescribed product of its kind in the
world.
About Viragen, Inc.:
Viragen is a biotechnology company specializing in the research,
development and commercialization of natural and recombinant protein-based
drugs designed to treat a broad range of viral and malignant diseases. These
protein-based drugs include natural human alpha interferon, monoclonal
antibodies and a peptide drug. Viragen's strategy also includes the
development of Avian Transgenic Technology as a biomanufacturing platform for
the large-scale, cost-effective production of therapeutic proteins.
For more information, please visit: http://www.Viragen.com
Viragen, Inc. Corporate Contact:
Douglas Calder, Director of Communications
Phone: (954) 233-8746; Fax: (954) 233-1414
E-mail: dcalder@viragen.com
The foregoing press announcement contains forward-looking statements that
can be identified by such terminology such as "expect," "potential,"
"suggests," "may," "should," "could" or similar expressions. Such forward-
looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. In particular, management's expectations regarding future
research, development and/or commercial results could be affected by, among
other things, uncertainties relating to clinical trials and product
development; availability of future financing; unexpected regulatory delays or
government regulation generally; the Company's ability to obtain or maintain
patent and other proprietary intellectual property protection; and competition
in general. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are
made. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to
reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking
statements are made.
SOURCE Viragen, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.viragen.com
http://www.asco.org/ac/1,1003,_12-002092,00.asp
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Company News On-Call:
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CONTACT:
Douglas Calder, Director of Communications,
Viragen, Inc., +1-954-233-8746, or fax, +1-954-233-1414, or
dcalder@viragen.com
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