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SATRAPLATIN REDUCES RISK OF PROSTATE CANCER PROGRESSION.


GPC Biotech AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange Frankfurt Stock Exchange

The largest of Germany's eight securities exchanges, operated by Deutsche Borse AS.
: GPC (1) A PC that uses the Linux-based gOS operating system. See gOS.

(2) (GPC Group) Originally the Graphics Performance Characterization committee of the NCGA, the GPC Group is now part of Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) and oversees the following
; TecDAX index; NASDAQ NASDAQ
 in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on
: GPCB GPCB Goncalves Pereira, Castelo Branco & Associados (lawyers in Portugal) ) and Pharmion Corporation (NASDAQ: PHRM PHRM Project Human Resources Management ) have announced that final progression-free survival (PFS PFS,
n post facilitation stretch; therapeutic approach utilized during proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation in which the patient begins the stretch midway between the fully relaxed and fully stretched position and uses maximum level of effort to
) results for the double-blind, 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.
 satraplatin Phase 3 registrational trial, the SPARC (Scalable Performance ARChitecture) A family of RISC CPUs from Sun that runs mostly under Sun's Solaris, but also under Linux and BSD operating systems. After development began in the mid-1980s by David Patterson of the University of California at Berkeley and Bill  trial (Satraplatin and Prednisone prednisone (prĕd`nĭsōn): see corticosteroid drug.  Against Refractory Cancer) were presented recently at the ASCO ASCO American Society of Clinical Oncology
ASCO Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (since 1941; Rockville, Maryland)
ASCO Australian Standard Classification of Occupations
ASCO Automatic Switch Company
 Prostate Cancer Symposium. The trial is evaluating satraplatin plus prednisone versus placebo plus prednisone in 950 patients with hormone- refractory prostate cancer (HRPC HRPC Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer
HRPC Hormone-Resistant Prostate Cancer
HRPC Hudson River Parks Conservancy
HRPC Health Research and Policy Center
) who have failed prior chemotherapy. All analyses of PFS being presented were conducted on an intent-to-treat basis.

The study data show that satraplatin significantly reduces the risk of disease progression in these patients using the protocol-specified log-rank test. The hazard ratio of 0.6 (95% CI: 0.5-0.7, p<0.00001), which was first reported in September 2006, adjusted for nine pre-specified prognostic factors. Using a more conservative analysis, which adjusted only for the three pre-specified stratification factors, the hazard ratio is 0.67 (95% CI: 0.57-0.77, p=3D0.0000003). These hazard ratio numbers correspond to a reduction in relative risk of disease progression of 40% and 33%, respectively.

In accordance with the recommendation of the independent Data Monitoring Board for the SPARC trial, patients who have not progressed continue to be treated and all patients will be followed for overall survival. Overall survival data are expected to be available later this year. GPC Biotech recently completed the 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 ) submission for satraplatin to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (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.
). Pharmion expects to complete the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA MAA
abbr.
macroaggregated albumin
) for Europe in the second quarter of 2007.

Daniel Petrylak, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, Director of the Genitourinary genitourinary /gen·i·to·uri·nary/ (jen?i-to-u´ri-nar-e) pertaining to the genital and urinary organs.

gen·i·to·u·ri·nar·y
adj. Abbr.
 Oncology Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, and a Principal Investigator in the SPARC trial, said: "As there are currently no approved therapies for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer whose disease has already failed on one chemotherapy regimen, satraplatin has the potential to address a mounting area of unmet medical need. The data I am presenting today show statistically significant results in progression-free survival in favor of those patients treated with satraplatin. These results are consistent no matter what the prior chemotherapy treatment, including Taxotere."

All disease progression events were adjudicated by an independent expert review committee of medical oncologists and radiologists. The vast majority of progression events were based on radiological progressions and pain progressions. Pain associated with bone metastases is the dominant cause of morbidity in patients with metastatic HRPC. Increase in prostate specific antigen PSA (Prostate specific antigen)
A tumor marker associated with prostate cancer.

Mentioned in: Tumor Markers
 (PSA (Professional Services Automation) An information system designed to organize, track and manage all opportunities, work, resources, costs, revenues and invoices to improve the productivity and efficiency of the workforce. ) was not part of the progression endpoint. PFS at the median demonstrated a 14% improvement in patients who received satraplatin plus prednisone (11.1 weeks) compared to patients who received prednisone plus placebo (9.7 weeks). The improvement seen in PFS by patients treated with satraplatin increased over time. PFS at the 75th percentile showed an 81% improvement for patients in the satraplatin arm (34.6 weeks) versus patients in the placebo arm (19.1 weeks). At six months, 30% of patients in the satraplatin arm had not progressed, compared to 17% of patients in the control arm. At twelve months, 16% of patients who received satraplatin had not progressed, compared to 7% of patients in the control arm.

The median number of cycles was four for the satraplatin group compared to two for the control group. Nearly 40% of patients treated with satraplatin received five or more cycles of treatment compared to approximately 20% of patients in the control arm.

The improvement in PFS in the satraplatin arm was not affected by the type of prior chemotherapy; importantly, the improvement was similar for patients who had received prior Taxotere (docetaxel), as well as those who received other types of chemotherapy treatments. Fifty-one percent of patients in the trial were previously treated with Taxotere. The hazard ratio for patients in the SPARC trial who were previously treated with Taxotere was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.54-0.83; p=3D0.0006, adjusted for the pre-specified stratification factors) and therefore numerically equivalent to the entire study population.

Safety findings were consistent with previous clinical studies involving satraplatin. The reported adverse reactions were mostly mild to moderate in severity. The most common adverse reactions consisted of myelosuppression (bone marrow functions): Twenty-one percent of patients in the satraplatin arm experienced grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia Thrombocytopenia Definition

Thrombocytopenia is an abnormal drop in the number of blood cells involved in forming blood clots. These cells are called platelets.
; 14 percent had leucopenia leu·co·pe·ni·a
n.
Variant of leukopenia.
 and 21 percent had neutropenia. Eight percent of patients in the satraplatin arm experienced grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicities, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Five percent or less of patients in the satraplatin arm experienced grade 3 or 4 fatigue, grade 3 or 4 infections and pulmonary/respiratory grade 3 or 4 toxicities.

"We are delighted with the strong detailed results presented today from the satraplatin SPARC Phase 3 trial," said Bernd R. Seizinger, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GPC Biotech. "Moving forward, we plan to work closely with the FDA regarding our application for marketing approval of satraplatin in the U.S. We also are continuing to aggressively build our marketing and sales organization in the U.S. to prepare for a potential launch of satraplatin later this year."

"We have been very pleased with the response of the prostate cancer treatment community to the SPARC data and believe that satraplatin will become a very important treatment option for men with HRPC," said Patrick J. Mahaffy, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board.  of Pharmion Corporation. "We are currently preparing our regulatory submission and expect to file a marketing authorization application for satraplatin in the EU by the end of the second quarter."

The SPARC trial is a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled multinational Phase 3 trial assessing satraplatin plus prednisone as a second-line chemotherapy treatment for patients with HRPC. A total of 950 patients were accrued to the trial at approximately 170 clinical sites in sixteen countries on four continents. In addition to the results presented, the companies expect that more data from the SPARC trial will be presented at future upcoming major medical conferences.

About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. and Europe. Approximately 219,000 men in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and over 27,000 men are expected to die from the disease. In the European Union, over 200,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed, and over 60,000 patients are expected to die each year. Since the incidence of prostate cancer increases with age, the aging of the overall population is expected to further increase the number of prostate cancer patients.

Most patients diagnosed with prostate cancer initially receive surgery or radiation therapy, and some of these patients are cured. For many others, though, the disease recurs. At this point, the recurrent disease is treated with hormone therapy, and most patients initially respond well to this treatment. Eventually, however, the tumor cells become resistant to the hormones - or "hormone-refractory" - and the tumor again progresses. Increasingly, chemotherapy is being used as an effective first-line treatment for hormone-refractory prostate cancer. However, it is not a cure, and so this is creating a need for effective therapeutic options for these patients once they have progressed.

About Satraplatin

Satraplatin, an investigational drug, is a member of the platinum family of compounds. Over the past two decades, platinum-based drugs have become a critical part of modern chemotherapy treatments and are used to treat a wide variety of cancers. Unlike the platinum drugs currently on the market, all of which require intravenous administration, satraplatin is an orally bioavailable compound and is given as capsules that patients can take at home.

GPC Biotech and Pharmion have a co-development and license agreement under which Pharmion has been granted exclusive commercialization rights to satraplatin for Europe and certain other territories.

Satraplatin has been studied in clinical trials involving a range of tumors. Trials evaluating the effects of satraplatin in combination with radiation therapy, in combination with other cancer therapies and in a number of cancer types are underway or planned. GPC Biotech in-licensed satraplatin from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2002. Additional information on satraplatin can be found in the Anticancer Programs section of the GPC Biotech Web site at www.gpc-biotech.com.

About Pharmion

Pharmion is a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing innovative products for the treatment of hematology and oncology patients in the U.S., Europe and additional international

markets. Pharmion has a number of products on the market including the world's first approved epigenetic epigenetic /epi·ge·net·ic/ (-je-net´ik)
1. pertaining to epigenesis.

2. altering the activity of genes without changing their structure.
 cancer drug, Vidaza, a DNA DNA: see nucleic acid.
DNA
 or deoxyribonucleic acid

One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes.
 demethylating agent.

For more information, visit http://www.pharmion.com or call 720/564-9150.

About GPC Biotech

GPC Biotech AG is a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing new anticancer drugs. GPC Biotech's lead product candidate - satraplatin - has achieved target enrollment in a Phase 3 registrational trial as a second-line chemotherapy treatment in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The U.S. FDA has granted fast track designation to satraplatin for this indication, and GPC Biotech has completed the rolling NDA submission process for this compound. GPC Biotech is also developing a monoclonal antibody with a novel mechanism-of-action against a variety of lymphoid lymphoid /lym·phoid/ (lim´foid) resembling or pertaining to lymph or tissue of the lymphoid system.

lym·phoid
adj.
Of or relating to lymph or the lymphatic tissue where lymphocytes are formed.
 tumors, currently in Phase 1 clinical development, and has ongoing drug development and discovery programs that leverage its expertise in kinase inhibitors. GPC Biotech AG is headquartered in Martinsried/Munich (Germany), and its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary has sites in Waltham, Massachusetts and Princeton, New Jersey
See also: Princeton Township, New Jersey

Princeton, New Jersey is located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Princeton University has been sited in the town since 1756.
.

For more information, visit http://www.gpc-biotech.com or call 781/890-9007, ext.267.
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Publication:Worldwide Biotech
Date:Apr 1, 2007
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