WALTHAM, Mass., June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
AltaRex Corp. (Toronto: AXO, OTC: ALXFF.PK) is presenting at the 19th
international Advances in the Application of Monoclonal Antibodies in Clinical
Oncology conference, being held from June 26-28 in Vouliagmeni, Greece. The
annual antibody conference gathers prominent scientists and clinicians from
around the world to present and discuss their findings and progress in the
understanding and application of antibodies as clinically beneficial agents
for the treatment and/or diagnosis of cancer. Representing AltaRex Corp. in
an oral presentation on Friday, June 28, is Birgit Schultes, Ph.D., Executive
Director of Research for the Company. Dr. Schultes will present results to
date from the OvaRex(R) clinical development program in advanced ovarian
cancer, and describe the Company's maturing understanding of the mechanism of
action behind OvaRex(R) MAb. Dr. Schultes will also discuss the potential for
other clinical applications of the same proprietary mechanism to new cancers
and disease areas.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000831/ALTREXLOGO )
"This is a particularly exciting year for us to be here, as we're able to
present results from the entire OvaRex(R) program across six studies in over
500 patients at various stages of advanced disease," commented Dr. Schultes.
"We believe that the results of these studies have clearly and consistently
demonstrated a benign safety profile for OvaRex(R) MAb. We have encouraging
data indicating that OvaRex(R) could enhance patient benefit in combination
with second-line chemotherapy, and results from our largest study of patients
following first-line treatment demonstrating a significant benefit in a "well-
defined" OvaRex(R) patient population relative to placebo. Underlying these
results is a further refinement in our understanding of the OvaRex(R)
mechanism of action, including the ability of the circulating antibody-antigen
or antibody-tumor cell complexes to break immunologic tolerance and to direct
antibodies, T helper cells and cytolytic T cells to target the tumor."
The Company believes that the results of its OvaRex(R) trials to date
validate its technology platform of using foreign antibodies to alter immune
responses for clinical benefit and without significant toxicities. With a
growing base of both scientific expertise and breadth of intellectual
property, the Company intends to leverage this scientific research progress by
further utilizing foreign monoclonal antibodies to break tolerance and also to
alter immunity in new areas such as allergy and other chronic autoimmune and
infectious diseases.
The Company's oncology antibody products are being developed in
collaboration with a wholly owned subsidiary of United Therapeutics
Corporation for North America and other regions worldwide. United
Therapeutics has disclosed its intention, subject to further counsel from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to conduct a phase III OvaRex(R) randomized
pivotal trial, to begin by the first quarter of next year. OvaRex(R) is also
being developed with Dompe Farmaceutici, FAES, Genesis Pharma and Medison
Pharma in territories that include Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain,
Portugal, Israel, Greece and Turkey. The Company currently retains all rights
to its cancer antibody portfolio for the majority of member nations of the
European Union and is pursuing collaborations for those geographies.
Additional information about AltaRex Corp. can be found on the Company website
at http://www.altarex.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from
the statements made. For this purpose, any statements that are contained
herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-
looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes,"
"anticipates," "plans," "intends," "expects" and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to our need for capital; the risk that the
Company can not raise funds on a timely basis on satisfactory terms or at all;
the need to obtain and maintain corporate alliances, such as the alliance with
United Therapeutics, and the risk that the Company cannot establish corporate
alliances on a timely basis, on satisfactory terms, or at all; changing market
conditions; uncertainties regarding the timely and successful completion of
clinical trials and patient enrollment rates, uncertainty of pre-clinical,
retrospective, early and interim clinical trial results, which may not be
indicative of results that will be obtained in ongoing or future clinical
trials; whether the Company and/or its collaborators will file for regulatory
approval on a timely basis; uncertainties as to when, if at all, the FDA and
other similar regulatory agencies will accept or approve regulatory filings
for the Company's products; the need to establish and scale-up manufacturing
processes, uncertainty as to the timely development and market acceptance of
the Company's products; the risk that the claims allowed under any issued
patent owned or licensed by the Company will not be sufficiently broad to
protect the Company's technology, that any patents issued to the Company will
not be sustained if challenged in court proceedings or otherwise or that third
parties will be able to develop products or processes that do not infringe
valid patents owned or licensed by the Company, and other risks detailed from
time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and Canadian securities authorities. The Company does not
assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN
SOURCE AltaRex Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.altarex.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000831/ALTREXLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 212-782-2840
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/128163.html
CONTACT:
Trudy Chimko, Human Resources & Corporate
Communications of AltaRex Corp., +1-781-672-0138,
investor@altarex.com
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