8 April 2002, London UK: At the Annual Meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, Antisoma plc
(LSE:ASM, NASD-Europe:ASOM) presented data showing that Thioplatin, a novel
platinum-based anti-cancer therapy activated at the site of the tumour
possesses both chemical and biological properties distinct from those of
cisplatinof other platin drugs, a widely-used chemotherapy agent, making
and shows promising activityit more active on cisplatin-resistant cells.
Thioplatin was developed by scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre
and in-licensed by Antisoma in October 2000. It is a tumour-targeted
version of a platin, a class of drugs that form the cornerstone of cancer
treatments against a wide range of solid tumours, including lung, ovarian
and testicular cancers. Although effective, the therapeutic dose for
current platinum-based drugs is often limited by potentially serious side
effects, including damage to the kidneys and small intestine. However,
Thioplatin is designed to be more active in the acidic environment found
around tumours, targeting and killing cancer cells and leaving healthy
cells relatively undamaged.
In a poster presentation, Dr Lloyd Kelland, Antisoma's Head of Laboratory,
presented new data showing that Thioplatin was active in three human
ovarian carcinoma cell lines with acquired cisplatin-resistance. Dr
Kelland also presented the results of work carried out at the US National
Cancer Institute, which shows that Thioplatin has a unique cancer cell
growth inhibition profile across a 60-human tumour cell line when compared
with all other platinum compounds in the databank.
Data presented at the AACR also confirmed findings published in a 2001
research paper, that Thioplatin, unlike cisplatin, was more potent across a
range of cell lines at the more acidic pH levels typically found in the
acidic environment around tumours, than at the pH levels found in normal
tissues.
Glyn Edwards, Antisoma's Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"Resistance to existing platin-based therapies is a real problem for
physicians looking for ways to defeat cancer. This data is encouraging and
supports the findings of the German scientists who discovered Thioplatin.
We hope that if the novel characteristics of Thioplatin are borne out in
the clinic, it will represent a significant addition to the armoury of
anti-cancer drugs."
For further information and press releases, please visit the Company's web
site at
www.antisoma.com or contact:
Antisoma plc +44 (0)20 8799 8200
Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer
Financial Dynamics +44 (0)20 7269 7187
Jonathan Birt
Except for the historical information presented, certain matters discussed
in this statement are forward looking statements that are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by such statements. These risks and uncertainties may be associated with
product discovery and development, including statements regarding the
company's clinical development programmes, the expected timing of clinical
trials and regulatory filings. Such statements are based on management's
current expectations, but actual results may differ materially.
Notes to Editors
Antisoma
Antisoma is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel products for the
treatment of cancer. Using its drug development experience, the Company
aims to produce safer and more effective tumour targeting therapies for
commercialisation by pharmaceutical partners. Antisoma acquires the rights
to promising new product candidates through partnerships with
internationally recognised academic or cancer research institutions. These
include the lead product candidate, pemtumomab, which was licensed from the
Imperial Cancer Research Fund and is currently in a Phase III study as
adjuvant treatment for ovarian cancer, with designated Orphan Drug status
in the US and EU. There are three additional products in the clinical
pipeline, Therex, DMXAA and TheraFab, and several pre-clinical programmes
of which two, Angiomab and Thioplatin, are expected to enter clinical
studies in 2002. Visit www.antisoma.com for further information about
Antisoma.
Thioplatin
Thioplatin is an innovative, tumour-targeting, platinum-based drug.
Existing platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin form one of the mainstays
of conventional chemotherapy, but affect healthy as well as cancerous cells
and, therefore, can be poorly tolerated. Thioplatin is relatively inactive
until it enters the acidic environment created by solid tumours, and
consequently has fewer effects on healthy cells.
Important 'proof of principle' data for Thioplatin were published early in
2001 by Dr Eberhard Amtmann and colleagues, the scientists at the German
Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) who originally developed this product. These
data shows that, in animal models, Thioplatin was found to be at least as
effective as cisplatin at killing human lung and colorectal cancer cells in
tumour model systems. There was also an indication that tumour cells
resistant to cisplatin could still be killed by Thioplatin. In addition,
Thioplatin did not cause the severe side-effects associated with
conventional platinum-based drugs, such as weight loss, damage to white
blood cells and the kidneys, and destruction of the lining of the small
intestine.
Platinum-based therapies are amongst the most widely used anti-cancer
therapies on the market. In 1999, the combined sales for three of the four
branded platinum compounds were in excess of US $820 million. Thioplatin
was Antisoma's first therapeutic product outside the field of monoclonal
antibodies. It adds both diversity and value to our growing development
portfolio of innovative anti-cancer products.
**************************************************
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please request a hard copy version.
Antisoma plc, West Africa House,Hanger Lane,Ealing,London W5 3QR,UK.
Tel: +44 20 8799 8200 Fax: +44 20 8799 8201 Web site www.antisoma.com
Registered in England & Wales under company number 3248123.
Marcopolo
for Cancer Research in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, Antisoma plc
(LSE:ASM, NASD-Europe:ASOM) presented data showing that Thioplatin, a novel
platinum-based anti-cancer therapy activated at the site of the tumour
possesses both chemical and biological properties distinct from those of
cisplatinof other platin drugs, a widely-used chemotherapy agent, making
and shows promising activityit more active on cisplatin-resistant cells.
Thioplatin was developed by scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre
and in-licensed by Antisoma in October 2000. It is a tumour-targeted
version of a platin, a class of drugs that form the cornerstone of cancer
treatments against a wide range of solid tumours, including lung, ovarian
and testicular cancers. Although effective, the therapeutic dose for
current platinum-based drugs is often limited by potentially serious side
effects, including damage to the kidneys and small intestine. However,
Thioplatin is designed to be more active in the acidic environment found
around tumours, targeting and killing cancer cells and leaving healthy
cells relatively undamaged.
In a poster presentation, Dr Lloyd Kelland, Antisoma's Head of Laboratory,
presented new data showing that Thioplatin was active in three human
ovarian carcinoma cell lines with acquired cisplatin-resistance. Dr
Kelland also presented the results of work carried out at the US National
Cancer Institute, which shows that Thioplatin has a unique cancer cell
growth inhibition profile across a 60-human tumour cell line when compared
with all other platinum compounds in the databank.
Data presented at the AACR also confirmed findings published in a 2001
research paper, that Thioplatin, unlike cisplatin, was more potent across a
range of cell lines at the more acidic pH levels typically found in the
acidic environment around tumours, than at the pH levels found in normal
tissues.
Glyn Edwards, Antisoma's Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"Resistance to existing platin-based therapies is a real problem for
physicians looking for ways to defeat cancer. This data is encouraging and
supports the findings of the German scientists who discovered Thioplatin.
We hope that if the novel characteristics of Thioplatin are borne out in
the clinic, it will represent a significant addition to the armoury of
anti-cancer drugs."
For further information and press releases, please visit the Company's web
site at
www.antisoma.com or contact:
Antisoma plc +44 (0)20 8799 8200
Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer
Financial Dynamics +44 (0)20 7269 7187
Jonathan Birt
Except for the historical information presented, certain matters discussed
in this statement are forward looking statements that are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by such statements. These risks and uncertainties may be associated with
product discovery and development, including statements regarding the
company's clinical development programmes, the expected timing of clinical
trials and regulatory filings. Such statements are based on management's
current expectations, but actual results may differ materially.
Notes to Editors
Antisoma
Antisoma is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel products for the
treatment of cancer. Using its drug development experience, the Company
aims to produce safer and more effective tumour targeting therapies for
commercialisation by pharmaceutical partners. Antisoma acquires the rights
to promising new product candidates through partnerships with
internationally recognised academic or cancer research institutions. These
include the lead product candidate, pemtumomab, which was licensed from the
Imperial Cancer Research Fund and is currently in a Phase III study as
adjuvant treatment for ovarian cancer, with designated Orphan Drug status
in the US and EU. There are three additional products in the clinical
pipeline, Therex, DMXAA and TheraFab, and several pre-clinical programmes
of which two, Angiomab and Thioplatin, are expected to enter clinical
studies in 2002. Visit www.antisoma.com for further information about
Antisoma.
Thioplatin
Thioplatin is an innovative, tumour-targeting, platinum-based drug.
Existing platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin form one of the mainstays
of conventional chemotherapy, but affect healthy as well as cancerous cells
and, therefore, can be poorly tolerated. Thioplatin is relatively inactive
until it enters the acidic environment created by solid tumours, and
consequently has fewer effects on healthy cells.
Important 'proof of principle' data for Thioplatin were published early in
2001 by Dr Eberhard Amtmann and colleagues, the scientists at the German
Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) who originally developed this product. These
data shows that, in animal models, Thioplatin was found to be at least as
effective as cisplatin at killing human lung and colorectal cancer cells in
tumour model systems. There was also an indication that tumour cells
resistant to cisplatin could still be killed by Thioplatin. In addition,
Thioplatin did not cause the severe side-effects associated with
conventional platinum-based drugs, such as weight loss, damage to white
blood cells and the kidneys, and destruction of the lining of the small
intestine.
Platinum-based therapies are amongst the most widely used anti-cancer
therapies on the market. In 1999, the combined sales for three of the four
branded platinum compounds were in excess of US $820 million. Thioplatin
was Antisoma's first therapeutic product outside the field of monoclonal
antibodies. It adds both diversity and value to our growing development
portfolio of innovative anti-cancer products.
**************************************************
THIS EMAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution, or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this email.
Email transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error free as
information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late
or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept
liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which
arise as a result of email transmission. If verification is required
please request a hard copy version.
Antisoma plc, West Africa House,Hanger Lane,Ealing,London W5 3QR,UK.
Tel: +44 20 8799 8200 Fax: +44 20 8799 8201 Web site www.antisoma.com
Registered in England & Wales under company number 3248123.
Marcopolo
