TUSTIN, CA--(Marketwire - April 07, 2010) - Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NYSE Amex: RPC), a US-based pharmaceutical company, announced today it has entered into an exclusive 5-year collaboration agreement with Jaiva Technologies. Under the terms of the agreement, Jaiva Technologies will collaborate with clinical laboratories, hospitals and physicians in India to conduct clinical trials for RPC’s Combination Immunogene Therapy (CIT) technology. Additionally, Jaiva will support RPC in securing Indian government approval for the use of CIT as a cancer therapy and vaccine throughout the country.
Jaiva Technologies is a US-based multinational biotechnology company focused on the research and development, distribution, marketing and sales of promising third-party healthcare technology products, including RPC’s CIT cancer therapy and vaccine.
Today’s agreement supports RPC’s expansion and commercialization strategy for its cancer products that also include RPC’s FDA-approved Onko-Sure™ in vitro diagnostic cancer test. According to Mr. Douglas MacLellan, CEO of Radient Pharmaceuticals, “We are pleased with today’s announcement and look forward to working with Jaiva on the commercialization of CIT in India. We remain steadfast in our efforts to accelerate RPC’s market growth and value to our customers, patients, and shareholders.”
According to Dr. Umesh Bhatia, Jaiva CEO, “We are very excited to collaborate with Radient Pharmaceuticals on the further development and commercialization of CIT in India. This product has tremendous potential benefit in treating cancer patients, and we believe that, through our extensive network in this market, we will complete the necessary clinical trials to gain government approval and initiate and generate solid product sales.”
CIT is a proprietary, US-patented technology owned by Radient Pharmaceuticals. Used as a cancer therapy and vaccine, CIT both builds the body’s immune system and destroys cancers simultaneously. The treatment involves injecting the patient with an attenuated viral vector carrying a combination of two genes, B7-2 and GM-CSF. The standard approach in utilizing gene therapy to combat cancer has been to attempt to replace defective genes in cancer cells, which has proven to be impractical because of the number of genes involved. The GM-CSF gene enters the patient’s tumor and genetically alters the tumor so that it attracts the patient’s antigen presenting cells (dendritic cells that capture antigens), which activate tumor-specific T-cells. The B7-2 gene also enters the patient’s tumor and genetically alters it, so it can stimulate a larger number of, and stronger, T-cells to fight the cancer.
RPC believes CIT will prove to be effective in boosting the immune system to effectively kill cancer cells. RPC believes that this therapy could be much more effective in treating cancer patients than either chemotherapy or radiation. In addition, this therapy does not appear to have the extreme side effects of radiation or chemotherapy.
In pre-clinical studies conducted at the University of Alberta, Canada, C.B.-17-SCID-beige mice given a human immune system were injected with melanoma (skin cancer) and glioma (brain cancer). The control group (non-treated) all died of cancer. In the group treated with CIT, 100% of the control group survived at the end of the 3-month trial period. Additionally, ten terminal human cancer patients, five skin cancer and five brain cancer patients were treated with CIT. The phase I clinical trial concluded that the treatment is feasible and safe with the following results: the treatment was safe at the present dose and the following biologic effects were noted: patients showed an inflammatory response at vaccination sites three to four days after injection, particularly after their second and third injections; most patients had an increase in their serum C-reactive protein levels (a non-specific indicator of inflammation) after each vaccination. Two patients that had large residual brain tumors when treated developed increased cerebral edema two to three days after each vaccination (particularly after the second and third injections).
RPC acquired this technology from Dr. Lung-Ji Chang, who developed it while at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is currently a professor at the Powell Gene Therapy Center at the University of Florida.
For additional information on RPC and its portfolio of cancer products visit the Company’s corporate website at www.Radient-Pharma.com. For Investor Relations information contact Kristine Szarkowitz at kszarkowitz@Radient-Pharma.com or 1.206.310.5323.
About Radient Pharma:
Headquartered in Tustin, California, Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an integrated pharmaceutical company devoted to the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of diagnostic, and premium skin care products.
Forward Looking Statements:
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this document include certain predictions and projections that may be considered forward-looking statements under securities law. These statements involve a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to, the performance of joint venture partners, as well as other economic, competitive and technological factors involving the Company’s operations, markets, services, products, and prices. With respect to Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation, except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this document are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.
AMDL Contact:
Kristine Szarkowitz
Director-Investor Relations
Email Contact
Tel: 206.310.5323
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