Clinical Progress in Second Potential Indication for ABX-IL8
FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Abgenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABGX)
announced today the start of a Phase IIa multi-center clinical trial of
ABX-IL8 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The company is also conducting
a Phase IIa clinical trial with ABX-IL8 in patients with moderate-to-severe
psoriasis, and expects to report results of this study in the first quarter of
2001.
"We are pleased with the potential utility of ABX-IL8 in various
inflammatory diseases," stated R. Scott Greer, president and chief executive
officer of Abgenix. "ABX-IL8 is the first fully human antibody created using
our XenoMouse(TM) technology, and we hope to broaden the number of patients
who could benefit from this promising new therapy."
The Phase IIa trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed
to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ABX-IL8 in rheumatoid arthritis. A
total of 132 patients across 20 clinical sites in the U.S. will participate in
the study. Patients will receive a total of four doses of ABX-IL8 every three
weeks over a 12-week period. The primary efficacy analysis will be measured
by percentage of patients who achieve the American College of Rheumatology 20%
responder criteria (ACR20), defined as a minimum improvement of 20% in
patients' rheumatoid arthritis.
ABX-IL8 is a fully human monoclonal antibody directed against
Interleukin-8, a chemokine that is produced at sites of inflammation and
attracts and activates inflammatory cells such as neutrophils. Elevated
levels of IL-8 in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients have
been correlated with the number of infiltrating neutrophils. Pre-clinical
studies of antibodies to IL-8 were shown to block neutrophil infiltration and
synovial membrane damage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease marked by inflammation and pain
in joints throughout the body. The disease affects over two million people in
the United States.
Abgenix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and
commercialization of antibody therapies for a variety of diseases. The
company developed XenoMouse(TM) technology to enable the rapid generation of
high affinity, fully human antibody product candidates to essentially any
disease target appropriate for antibody therapy. Abgenix uses its XenoMouse
technology to build a large and diversified product portfolio through the
establishment of licensing arrangements with multiple pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and genomics companies and through the development of its own
internal proprietary products. For more information on Abgenix, visits the
company's website at http://www.abgenix.com.
Statements made in this press release about Abgenix's XenoMouse
technology, product development activities and collaborative arrangements
other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements and
are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the statements made, including risks associated with
the success of clinical trials, the progress of research and product
development programs, the regulatory approval process, competitive products,
future capital requirements and the extent and breadth of Abgenix's patent
portfolio. Please see Abgenix's public filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for information about risks that may affect Abgenix.
SOURCE Abgenix, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.abgenix.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/126548.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 126548
CONTACT:
Ina Cu-Unjieng, Manager, Investor/Public
Relations of Abgenix, Inc., 510-608-4662
|
