Toronto Stock Exchange Symbol: MS
EDMONTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - BioMS Medical Corp. , a leading developer in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the Company’s pivotal phase III MAESTRO-01 Canadian/European trial of dirucotide in patients with secondary progressive MS has completed a safety analysis and recommended that the trial continue as per the protocol.
This was the final scheduled review by the DSMB prior to the completion of MAESTRO-01. The purpose of the DSMB is to provide objective, independent safety monitoring of the trial. Results from MAESTRO-01 are expected in the second half of this year.
MAESTRO-01 is a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dirucotide in patients with secondary progressive MS. The study is being conducted at 47 sites across Canada and nine countries in Europe and includes 611 patients being administered either dirucotide or placebo intravenously every six months for a period of two years. The primary clinical endpoint for the trial is defined as a statistically and clinically significant increase in the time to progression of the disease, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), in patients with HLA-DR2 and/or HLA-DR4 immune response genes (up to 70% of all MS patients are HLA-DR2 and/or HLA-DR4 positive). Time to disease progression in patients with other HLA-DR types will be assessed separately as an exploratory arm of the same study.
BioMS Medical is a biotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic technologies. BioMS Medical’s lead technology, dirucotide, is for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and is being evaluated in two pivotal phase III clinical trials for Secondary Progressive MS patients, MAESTRO-01 in Canada and Europe and MAESTRO-03 in the United States. In December 2007, BioMS entered into a licensing and development agreement granting Eli Lilly and Company exclusive worldwide rights to dirucotide in exchange for an $87 million upfront payment, milestone payments and escalating royalties on sales. For further information please visit our website at http://www.biomsmedical.com
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current expectation regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changing market conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s ongoing quarterly and annual reporting. Certain of the assumptions made in preparing forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: that MBP8298 will continue to demonstrate a satisfactory safety profile in ongoing and future clinical trials; and that BioMS Medical Corp. will complete the respective clinical trials within the timelines communicated in this release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Tony Hesby, Ryan Giese, Amanda Stadel, BioMS Medical Corp., (780)
413-7152, (780) 408-3040 Fax, E-mail: info@biomsmedical.com, Internet:
http://www.biomsmedical.com; James Smith, Investor Relations, (416)
815-0700 ext. 229, (416) 815-0080 Fax, E-mail: jsmith@equicomgroup.com
