DOR BioPharma Presents Positive New Survival Findings from Phase II and III Clinical Trials of orBec at Annual Bone Marrow Transplant Conference; Abstract Selected for Best Abstracts Award.MIAMI Miami, cities, United States Miami (mīăm`ē, –ə). 1 City (1990 pop. 358,548), seat of Dade co., SE Fla., on Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River; inc. 1896. -- DOR Dor or Dora, Canaanite seaport, ancient Palestine (modern Israel), N of Caesarea Palestinae. It was never a Jewish city but rather a Phoenician outpost. It was rebuilt by the Romans; still visible are the ruins of a temple and a theater. BioPharma, Inc. (AMEX AMEX See: American Stock Exchange : DOR) ("DOR", or the "Company") announced today that survival results for orBec(R) (or oral beclomethasone dipropionate bec·lo·meth·a·sone di·pro·pi·o·nate n. A corticosteroid usually used as an inhalant to treat asthma. beclomethasone dipropionate (bek´l ) from two randomized ran·dom·ize tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. , double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal Graft-versus-Host disease graft-versus-host disease n. A type of incompatibility reaction of transplanted cells against host tissues that possess an antigen not possessed by the donor. Also called graft-versus-host reaction. (iGVHD), were presented by George B. McDonald, MD, inventor of orBec(R), at the annual Tandem Bone Marrow Transplant bone marrow transplant: see bone marrow. Meeting of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry in Honolulu on February 18, 2006 in a presentation entitled "Oral beclomethasone dipropionate for gastrointestinal GVHD GVHD graft-versus-host-disease. GVHD Graft-versus-host disease, see there : a corticosteroid-sparing treatment with improved survival at day-200." An abstract of this presentation has been published (Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation 2006; 12 (Supplement 1): 1-2). The abstract was chosen to receive a Best Abstracts Award at the conference. The survival data, collected by DOR in response to a specific FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. request as part of its process to submit a New Drug Application ("NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) An agreement signed between two parties that have to disclose confidential information to each other in order to do business. In general, the NDA states why the information is being divulged and stipulates that it cannot be used for any "), included a comparison of the statistically significant survival benefit demonstrated in favor of orBec(R) in its pivotal Phase III clinical trial Noun 1. phase III clinical trial - a large clinical trial of a treatment or drug that in phase I and phase II has been shown to be efficacious with tolerable side effects; after successful conclusion of these clinical trials it will receive formal approval from the to survival among 60 patients previously studied in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, Phase II clinical trial Noun 1. phase II clinical trial - a clinical trial on more persons than in phase I; intended to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment for the condition it is intended to treat; possible side effects are monitored phase II of oral beclomethasone dipropionate for iGVHD. The Phase II clinical trial was conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, as described in a publication in the journal Gastroenterology. The Phase II clinical trial was similar in design to the pivotal Phase III trial which was completed in late 2004. In the Phase II study, patients with iGVHD were randomized to receive an induction course of conventional prednisone prednisone (prĕd`nĭsōn): see corticosteroid drug. therapy plus either oral beclomethasone dipropionate or placebo. The treatment response at study day-30 was 22 of 31 (71%) vs. 12 of 29 (41%) in the oral beclomethasone and placebo groups, respectively, achieving a statistically significant p-value of 0.02. The new survival analysis of patients enrolled in this earlier Phase II trial suggests that results were similar to those from the pivotal Phase III multi-center study. In the Phase II trial, there were reductions in the risk of mortality of 55% and 43% at transplant day-200 and one year post-randomization among patients randomized to oral beclomethasone dipropionate, respectively. The comparable survival data from the 129-patient Phase III pivotal trial were 66% and 51% reductions in the risk of mortality at transplant day-200 and one-year post-randomization among patients randomized to orBec(R), respectively. In the Phase III pivotal trial, a subgroup analysis revealed that among patients who had received stem cells stem cells, unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce mature specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst (the blastula typical of placental mammals; see embryo), which is very young from unrelated donors, the reduction in the risk of day-200 mortality among patients randomized to orBec(R) was 94%. "We believe that these Phase II results significantly strengthen our case that the robust mortality result that we saw in the Phase III pivotal trial was due to the positive effect of orBec(R)," said Michael T. Sember, President and Chief Executive Officer of DOR. "We have estimated that there is a 1 in 5,000 chance of observing similar odds ratios in the Phase II and Phase III studies if there was no effect of orBec(R) on day-200 survival. Consequently, we believe that since the mortality results from both clinical trials are so similar, this strongly suggests the hazard of mortality for patients randomized to orBec(R) was lower than placebo." George B. McDonald, MD, Head of the Gastroenterology/Hepatology Section at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, inventor of orBec(R) and a consultant to DOR, stated, "Based on all the data we have collected, I believe that orBec(R) represents the first new therapy for iGVHD that significantly improves survival with no discernable side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. . iGVHD is the most significant and life threatening toxicity associated with allogeneic allogeneic /al·lo·ge·ne·ic/ (-je-ne´ik) 1. having cell types that are antigenically distinct. 2. in transplantation biology, denoting individuals (or tissues) that are of the same species but antigenically hematopoietic cell transplants. The fact that two randomized trials show similar reductions in the hazard of mortality at one year post-randomization suggests that use of orBec(R) will impact outcomes in the majority of patients undergoing allogeneic transplant--particularly in recipients of unrelated donor stem cells, in whom reductions in mortality were highly significant. Over the past 30 years, there has not been a new drug approved that reduces mortality in any form of Graft-versus-Host Disease. orBec(R)'s topical activity in the gastrointestinal tract gastrointestinal tract n. The part of the digestive system consisting of the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Gastrointestinal tract results in better survival in patients with intestinal GVHD, probably due to preservation of the intestinal mucosal barrier and the avoidance of prolonged immune suppression with prednisone, resulting in fewer fatal infections." About Intestinal Graft-versus-Host Disease (iGVHD) iGVHD is a life threatening condition that is one of the most common causes for the failure of bone marrow transplant procedures. These procedures are being increasingly utilized to treat leukemia and other cancer patients with the prospect of eliminating residual disease residual disease Oncology Malignant cells or neoplasia that remains after any form–chemotherapy, surgery, RT–of 1º treatment and reducing the likelihood of relapse. orBec(R) represents a first-of-its-kind oral, locally acting therapy tailored to treat the gastrointestinal manifestation of GVHD, the organ system where GVHD is most frequently encountered and highly problematic. orBec(R) is intended to reduce the need for systemic immunosuppressives to treat iGVHD. Currently approved systemic immunosuppressives utilized to control iGVHD substantially inhibit the highly desirable graft-versus-leukemia (GVL GVL - Graphical View Language. A visual language for specifying interactive graphical output by T.C.N. Graham & J.R. Cordy, Queen's University, Canada. ["GVL: A Graphical, Functional Language for the Specification of Output in Programming Languages", J.R. Cordy & T.C.N. ) effect of bone marrow transplants, leading to high rates of aggressive forms of relapse, as well as substantial rates of mortality due to opportunistic infection. About DOR BioPharma, Inc. DOR BioPharma, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company addressing life-threatening side effects of cancer and cancer treatments, serious gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, and biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. countermeasures. Our lead product, orBec(R) (oral beclomethasone dipropionate), is a potent, locally-acting corticosteroid corticosteroid /cor·ti·co·ster·oid/ (-ster´oid) any of the steroids elaborated by the adrenal cortex (excluding the sex hormones) or any synthetic equivalents; divided into two major groups, the glucocorticoids and being developed for the treatment of intestinal Graft-versus-Host disease (iGVHD), a common serious complication of bone marrow transplantation Bone Marrow Transplantation Definition The bone marrow—the sponge-like tissue found in the center of certain bones—contains stem cells that are the precursors of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. for cancer, as well as other GI disorders characterized by severe inflammation. We plan to file a new drug application (NDA) with the FDA for orBec(R) for the treatment of iGVHD in the first quarter of 2006. Through our BioDefense Division, we are developing biomedical countermeasures pursuant to the paradigm established by the recently enacted Project BioShield Act The Project Bioshield Act was an act passed by the United States Congress in 2004 calling for the donation of over $5 billion for purchasing vaccines that would be used in the event of a bioterrorist attack. of 2004. Our biodefense products in development are bioengineered vaccines designed to protect against the deadly effects of ricin toxin and botulinum toxin, both of which are considered serious bioterrorism threats. Our ricin toxin vaccine, RiVax(TM), has completed the clinical portion of its Phase I clinical trial Noun 1. phase I clinical trial - a clinical trial on a few persons to determine the safety of a new drug or invasive medical device; for drugs, dosage or toxicity limits should be obtained phase I in normal volunteers. We have also announced the initiation of a new botulinum toxin therapeutic development program based on rational drug design. For further information regarding DOR BioPharma, please visit the Company's website located at http://www.dorbiopharma.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that reflect DOR BioPharma's current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including statements regarding the potential use of orBec(R) for the treatment of iGVHD and the prospects for regulatory filings for orBec(R). Where possible, DOR BioPharma has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as "anticipates", "believes", "intends", or similar expressions. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from what is expressed in, or implied by, these statements. DOR BioPharma cannot assure you that it will be able to successfully develop or commercialize products based on its technology, including orBec(R), particularly in light of the significant uncertainty inherent in developing vaccines against bioterror threats, manufacturing and conducting preclinical and clinical trials of vaccines, and obtaining regulatory approvals, that its technologies will prove to be safe and effective, that its cash expenditures will not exceed projected levels, that it will be able to obtain future financing or funds when needed, that product development and commercialization efforts will not be reduced or discontinued due to difficulties or delays in clinical trials or due to lack of progress or positive results from research and development efforts, that it will be able to successfully obtain any further grants and awards, maintain its existing grants which are subject to performance, enter into any biodefense procurement contracts with the U.S. Government or other countries, that it will be able to patent, register or protect its technology from challenge and products from competition or maintain or expand its license agreements with its current licensors, that it will be able to maintain its listing on the American Stock Exchange American Stock Exchange (AMEX) Stock exchange in the U.S. Originally known as “the Curb,” it began as an outdoor marketplace in New York City c. 1850. It moved indoors to its present location in the Wall Street area in 1921. ("AMEX") by completing a transaction which will provide it with shareholders' equity of at least $6 million, or that its business strategy will be successful. Important factors which may affect the future use of orBec(R) for iGVHD include the risks that: because orBec(R) did not achieve statistical significance in its primary endpoint in the pivotal Phase III clinical study (i.e. a p-value of less than or equal to 0.05), the FDA may not consider orBec(R) approvable based upon existing studies, orBec(R) may not show therapeutic effect or an acceptable safety profile in future clinical trials, if required, or could take a significantly longer time to gain regulatory approval than DOR BioPharma expects or may never gain approval; DOR BioPharma is dependent on the expertise, effort, priorities and contractual obligations of third parties in the clinical trials, manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of its products; or orBec(R) may not gain market acceptance; and others may develop technologies or products superior to orBec(R). DOR BioPharma presently is involved in financing negotiations which could result in the issuance of a significant number of shares of its equity securities, thereby diluting the equity interests of present stockholders. These and other factors are described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, DOR BioPharma's most recent reports on Form 10-QSB and Form 10-KSB. DOR BioPharma assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, and changes in circumstances or for any other reason. |
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