SAN DIEGO, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP), an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer, announced the presentation of new data showing the ability of its mitochondrial inhibitor drug candidate, ME-344, to decrease tumor burden and delay recurrence in a pre-clinical in vivo model of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies. The data were presented by Ayesha Alvero, M.D., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, yesterday at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/LA32362LOGO)
A copy of the poster, entitled “ME-344 delays tumor kinetics in an ovarian cancer in vivo recurrence model,” is now available at www.meipharma.com.
About ME-344
ME-344 is MEI Pharma’s next-generation mitochondrial inhibitor and an active metabolite of NV-128, the Company’s first-generation compound. In April 2011, Dr. Alvero presented data at AACR from a pre-clinical study of NV-128 demonstrating its ability to induce mitochondrial instability, ultimately leading to cell death in otherwise chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer stem cells. These results were later published in the August 2011 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In additional pre-clinical studies, ME-344 demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity against a broad range of human cancer cell lines compared to NV-128. Data from an ongoing Phase I clinical trial of intravenous ME-344 in patients with solid refractory tumors is expected in June 2013. In November 2012, ME-344 was named one of the Top 10 Most Licensable Oncology Products to Watch by Elsevier Business Intelligence and Campbell Alliance. MEI Pharma owns exclusive worldwide rights to all of its drug candidates, including ME-344.
About MEI Pharma
MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The Company’s lead drug candidate is Pracinostat, a potential best-in-class, oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor being developed for advanced hematologic malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Results from a pilot Phase II clinical trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with advanced MDS were presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2012 showing an overall response rate (CR+CRi+PR) of 89% (eight out of nine). The Company plans to initiate a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with MDS in June 2013. In addition, MEI Pharma is developing two drug candidates derived from its isoflavone-based technology platform, ME-143 and ME-344. For more information, go to www.meipharma.com.
Under U.S. law, a new drug cannot be marketed until it has been investigated in clinical trials and approved by the FDA as being safe and effective for the intended use. Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our failure to successfully commercialize our product candidates; costs and delays in the development and/or FDA approval, or the failure to obtain such approval, of our product candidates; uncertainties or differences in interpretation in clinical trial results; our inability to maintain or enter into, and the risks resulting from our dependence upon, collaboration or contractual arrangements necessary for the development, manufacture, commercialization, marketing, sales and distribution of any products; competitive factors; our inability to protect our patents or proprietary rights and obtain necessary rights to third party patents and intellectual property to operate our business; our inability to operate our business without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of others; general economic conditions; the failure of any products to gain market acceptance; our inability to obtain any additional required financing; technological changes; government regulation; changes in industry practice; and one-time events. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.
SOURCE MEI Pharma, Inc.
