DALLAS, June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. announced that the Company gave an oral presentation yesterday on its monoclonal antibody product, Angiolix(R), at the 7th International Congress on Recombinant Antibodies, held in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Agamemnon Epenetos, Access’ Chief Scientific Officer -- Europe, presented data showing that Angiolix has the potential to prevent the growth of cancer stem cells.
Dr. Epenetos commented, “There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that tumor progression, dissemination and metastases result from cancer stem cells rather than the other cells which form the bulk of a cancer. As a result, therapies which attack these tumor cells will delay the onset of progression, but rarely cure the disease. Cancer stem cells are a subgroup of cancer cells that can be resistant to standard treatments, so agents like Angiolix, which have the potential to thwart cancer stem cells, hold great promise for the future treatment and eradication of cancer.”
Access’ monoclonal antibody product, Angiolix, blocks angiogenesis by inhibiting a novel receptor called lactadherin. Lactadherin causes angiogenesis through a VEGF dependent mechanism. Several other drugs have been developed or are in development to block VEGF and VEGF induced angiogenesis, such as Avastin.
In the presentation, Dr. Epenetos showed that Angiolix has been shown not only to block new blood vessels in tumors, in a similar manner to other anti VEGF drugs like Avastin, but that it could additionally have a direct killing effect on tumor cells potentially including cancer stem cells that are involved in angiogenesis and metastasis.
Access Pharmaceuticals is currently conducting key preclinical studies at Imperial College London, UK to assess the efficacy of Angiolix in a wide range of tumor models. These studies aim to demonstrate the potential efficacy of Angiolix as a monotherapy and in combination with conventional chemotherapy regimes, as well as compare its efficacy with other anti-angiogenesis drugs, such as Avastin.
The Company is actively seeking potential partners for the further clinical development of Angiolix, a drug which holds great promise as an anti-vascular cancer therapy.
About Access:
Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes propriety products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients. Access’ products include ProLindac(TM), currently in Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian cancer, and MuGard(TM) for the management of patients with mucositis. The company also has other advanced drug delivery technologies including Cobalamin(TM)-mediated targeted delivery and oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism; Angiolix(R), a humanized monoclonal antibody which acts as an anti-angiogenesis factor and is targeted to breast cancer; Prodrax(R), a non-toxic prodrug which is activated in the hypoxic zones of solid tumors to kill cancer cells; Alchemix, a chemotherapeutic agent that combines multiple modes of action to overcome drug resistance. For additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our website at http://www.accesspharma.com.
This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include those relating to: our ability to close the financing transaction, early results from our clinical trial, Access’ plans to continue and initiate clinical trials, the value of its products in the market, its ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and its ability to successfully develop marketed products. These statements are subject to numerous risks, including but not limited to Access’ need to obtain additional financing in order to continue the clinical trial and operations and to the risks detailed in Access’ Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed by Access with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Stephen B. Thompson, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of
Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-214-905-5100; or investor relations,
Donald C. Weinberger, or media, Alisa Steinberg, both of Wolfe Axelrod
Weinberger Assoc. LLC, +1-212-370-4500; or Daniel Schustack of CEOcast,
Inc., +1-212-732-4300, all for Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.accesspharma.com/
