Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc.' TH-302 to be Featured at Symposium on Hypoxia in Cancer Hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - March 12, 2012) - Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: THLD) announced that TH-302 will be featured among several presentations by academic and industry experts at a symposium entitled Therapeutic and Diagnostic Modalities Targeting Hypoxia in Cancer, hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, March 14, in New York City. Threshold Pharmaceuticals is also a sponsor of the event.
In his presentation, Selective Targeting of Hypoxic Cancer Cells with the Hypoxia-activated Prodrug TH-302, Charles P. Hart, PhD, Vice President of Biology at Threshold Pharmaceuticals, will review many of the results to date of preclinical and clinical studies of TH-302 in various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
The symposium's objective is to provide a review of recent highlights in the study of the role of hypoxia in cancer, current advances in the discovery and development of drugs selectively targeting hypoxic cancer cells, and patient profiling approaches employing imaging or circulating or tissue biomarkers of hypoxia.
For more information on the program or to register, please visit: http://www.nyas.org/Events/Detail.aspx?cid=5e253999-25e8-472c-9ecc-96a22b32f0ef.
About TH-302
TH-302 is a hypoxia-targeted drug that is thought to be activated under tumor hypoxic conditions, a hallmark of many cancer indications. Areas of low oxygen levels (hypoxia) within tissues are common in many solid tumors due to insufficient blood vessel growth. Similarly, the bone marrow of patients with hematological malignancies has also been shown, in some cases, to be extremely hypoxic.
TH-302 has been investigated in over 600 patients in Phase 1/2 clinical trials to date in a broad spectrum of tumor types, both as a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy treatments and other targeted cancer drugs. In a recent 214 patient controlled Phase 2b clinical trial of TH-302 in pancreatic cancer, TH-302 has been shown to result in a statistically significant increase in progression-free survival for patients treated with gemcitabine in combination with TH-302 at 240 mg/m2 and 340 mg/m2 compared to patients treated with gemcitabine alone (5.6 months vs. 3.6 months). Threshold has several additional ongoing clinical trials, the most advanced of which is a Phase 3 pivotal study evaluating TH-302 in combination with doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone in patients with soft tissue sarcoma.
About Threshold Pharmaceuticals
Threshold is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of drugs targeting Tumor Hypoxia, the low oxygen condition found in microenvironments of most solid tumors as well as the bone marrows of some hematologic malignancies. This approach offers broad potential to treat a variety of cancers. By selectively targeting tumor cells, we are building a pipeline of drugs that hold promise to be more effective and less toxic to healthy tissues than conventional anticancer drugs. For additional information, please visit our website (www.thresholdpharm.com).
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Threshold's product candidates, anticipated milestones, clinical trials and anticipated results and announcements, and potential therapeutic uses and benefits of TH-302. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Threshold's ability to enroll or complete its anticipated clinical trials, the time and expense required to conduct such clinical trials and analyze data, whether such trials will confirm results from earlier clinical trials, and issues arising in the regulatory or manufacturing process and the results of such clinical trials (including product safety issues and efficacy results). Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in Threshold's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 3, 2011 and is available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and on our website (www.thresholdpharm.com) under the heading "Investors." We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement made in this news release.