NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (API) announced today that Geraldine Henwood, an experienced biopharmaceutical executive, joined the Company’s management team in the consultative capacity of Chief Development Officer, Iomab-B. Ms. Henwood will spearhead efforts on further development of its clinical stage Iomab-B drug candidate. Iomab-B is a monoclonal antibody construct in-licensed by API from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. It is indicated for bone marrow conditioning aimed at enabling hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT).
“This is a great opportunity to move forward with a product that has already been in more than 250 patients in a series of Phase I and II clinical trials,” said Ms. Henwood. “We hope to progress this drug candidate into a pivotal study, and bring it to patients who otherwise have very few if any options.”
Gerri Henwood brings with her a track record of successful drug development, both on the corporate side and organizing and monitoring clinical trials for clients. She was the co-founder and CEO of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the founder of IBAH, a major clinical research organization (CRO). She also held senior positions at SmithKline Beecham.
“Over her career in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Henwood has built successful companies and has worked on a number of drugs that were approved and successfully launched. Her expertise is an important asset for our company,” said Jack Talley, Actinium’s CEO.
Ms. Henwood currently serves on the Board of Directors of Alkermes, Inc., MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is a member of the Board of Trustees for LaSalle Academy, an elementary school for “at risk” youth, in Philadelphia, PA
About Iomab-B
Iomab-B is a radioimmunoconjugate consisting of BC8, a novel murine monoclonal antibody, and iodine 131 radioisotope. BC8 has been developed by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to target CD45, a pan-leukocytic antigen widely expressed on white blood cells. This white blood cell antigen makes BC8 potentially useful in preparation for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a number of blood cancer indications, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Hodgkin disease (HD), Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM). When labeled with radioactive isotopes, BC8 carries radioactivity directly to the site of cancerous growth while avoiding effects of radiation on most healthy tissues.
About hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a $1.3 billion per year market in the U.S. Over the period 2004 2007 (most recent available data) it was the hospital procedure with fastest growing number of hospital stays and aggregate cost growth in the U.S., according to the U.S. Government Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In 2010, about 20,000 transplants were performed in the U.S. Approximately 12,000 were autologous and approximately 8,000 were allogeneic. Worldwide, there were about 60,000 transplants overall; about 34,000 autologous and 26,000 allogeneic. The number of patients over the age of 50 has been steadily increasing over the last decade and based on the latest available data grew from 8 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2005 and 27 percent in 2007.
About Actinium Pharmaceuticals
Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a U.S. based biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative targeted payload immunotherapeutics to treat various cancers. The Companies Alpha Particle Immunotherapy Technology platform couples monoclonal antibodies with extremely potent but comparatively safe alpha particle emitting radioactive isotopes, in particular Actinium 225 and Bismuth 213. The final drug construct is designed to specifically target and kill cancer cells while minimizing side effects. Alpha emitters are the most powerful killing agents in existence, with a single atom capable of destroying a cancer cell. At the same time, they do not damage surrounding healthy tissues. API’s technology and products are protected by an extensive intellectual property estate of 68 patents - 17 U.S. and 51 International.
Actinium Pharmaceuticals has two clinical stage lead drug candidates for the treatment of blood borne cancers. These lead products have been tested in approximately 300 patients in Phase I and II clinical trials: Its Actimab-A drug candidate is in a company sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia over the age of 60. The Company is also developing Iomab-B indicated for the conditioning of bone marrow in order to prepare patients with certain blood cancers for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. API will sponsor pivotal clinical trials of Iomab-B as the next step towards seeking commercial approval. Approximately a dozen Phase I/II clinical trials are underway under physician IND’s for Actinium’s lead products. In addition, the Company also has a robust pre-clinical pipeline that the company intends to progress into clinical trials in the next twelve to eighteen months.
For more information:
Visit our web site www.actiniumpharmaceuticals.com or Contact:
Media:
Dennis S. Dobson Jr., 203-258-0159
Email: dsdobson@optonline.com
www.dobsonmediagroup.com
Jack Talley
Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Tel: (203) 895-1524
E-mail: investors@actiniumpharmaceuticals.com
Investors:
Jeff Ramson
ProActive Capital Group, LLC
Tel: (646) 863-6341
E-mail: jramson@proactivecrg.com
www.proactivecrg.com
Forward-Looking Statement for Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential, or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Actinium Pharmaceuticals undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
SOURCE Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
