Micromet Presents Update on BiTE Antibody Pipeline and Reviews Key AACR Presentations at R&D Day
April 24 2009 - 10:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Pivotal Trial Expected to Initiate in 2010 for Blinatumomab NEW
YORK, April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (NASDAQ:
MITI), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary
antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune
diseases, today held an R&D Day for investors and financial
analysts at The Yale Club of New York City. The presentations
highlighted significant areas of development across Micromet's BiTE
antibody platform and included updates on: -- BiTE antibody
Blinatumomab -- a rapid path to market has been identified for
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) with a registration trial
planned to begin in 2010. Dose escalation continues in the study of
blinatumomab for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with final results
expected to be reported at the American Society of Hematology
meeting in December. -- BiTE antibody MT110 -- data presented at
this week's annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer
Research (AACR) demonstrated MT110 can direct T cells to eliminate
EpCAM-expressing human colorectal cancer stem cells in cell culture
and in animal models. EpCAM is a target antigen that is highly and
frequently expressed on many types of solid tumors. MT110 currently
is in a phase 1 dose-escalating clinical trial in patients with
lung or gastrointestinal cancer. -- EGFR BiTE Antibody --
pre-clinical data presented at AACR demonstrated that BiTE
antibodies developed from the EGFR-specific monoclonal antibodies
Erbitux(R) (cetuximab) and Vectibix(R) (panitumumab) were highly
active against KRAS-and BRAF-mutated human colorectal cancer cell
lines. Recent clinical studies have shown that patients with tumor
cells harboring mutations in KRAS and BRAF oncogenes do not respond
to treatment with Erbitux or Vectibix. These patients make up more
than 40% of colorectal cancer patients. "Micromet has developed one
of the industry's most extensive and exciting antibody pipelines.
Our BiTE antibody platform continues to gain validation in the
clinic leading to the planned initiation of a pivotal trial for ALL
next year," said Micromet President and CEO Christian Itin.
"Micromet continues to advance pre-clinical and clinical programs
independently and with its partners Bayer Schering, Nycomed, Merck
Serono and MedImmune." An archive of the event's presentations is
available at http://www.micromet-inc.com/. About Micromet Micromet,
Inc. (http://www.micromet-inc.com/) is a biopharmaceutical company
with offices in Bethesda, MD and Munich, Germany. The Company is
focused on developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the
treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. The
Company's novel antibody technology is based on its proprietary
BiTE(R) antibody platform, representing a new class of antibodies
that specifically activate T cells from the patient's own immune
system to eliminate cancer cells or other disease related cells.
Four of the Company's antibodies are currently in clinical trials,
with the remainder of its product pipeline in preclinical
development. The Company's lead program is a BiTE antibody known as
blinatumomab, or MT103. It is in a phase 2 clinical trial for the
treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a phase
1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma. Micromet's second BiTE antibody in clinical development
is MT110, which targets the epithelial cell adhesion molecule
(EpCAM). The Company owns all rights to MT110, which is currently
in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with
solid tumors. The Company's third clinical stage antibody is
adecatumumab, also known as MT201, a traditional human monoclonal
antibody that targets EpCAM-expressing solid tumors. Micromet is
developing adecatumumab in collaboration with Merck Serono in a
phase 1b clinical trial evaluating adecatumumab in combination with
docetaxel for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast
cancer. Micromet licensed a fourth clinical stage antibody, MT293,
to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MT293 is being developed in a phase
1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with cancer. The
Company's preclinical programs include MT203 being developed in
collaboration with Nycomed. MT203 is a traditional human antibody
neutralizing the activity of granulocyte/macrophage colony
stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which has potential applications in
the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or multiple sclerosis. Micromet
has granted an exclusive option to Bayer Schering Pharma AG to
license a BiTE antibody against an undisclosed solid tumor target.
Additional BiTE antibodies, targeting CEA, CD33, Her2, EGFR and
MCSP, respectively, are in different stages of preclinical
development. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains
certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially
different from historical results or from any future results
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements include statements regarding the
efficacy, safety and intended utilization of blinatumomab, MT110,
and its EGFR BiTE antibody. You are urged to consider statements
that include the words "ongoing," "may," "will," "believes,"
"potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," or the
negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and
forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ
materially from any future results expressed or implied by any
forward-looking statements include the risk that product candidates
that appeared promising in early research, preclinical studies or
clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in
subsequent clinical trials, the risk that encouraging results from
early research, preclinical studies or clinical trials may not be
confirmed upon further analysis of the detailed results of such
research, preclinical study or clinical trial, the risk that
additional information relating to the safety, efficacy or
tolerability of our product candidates may be discovered upon
further analysis of preclinical or clinical trial data, the risk
that we or our collaborators will not obtain approval to market our
product candidates, the risks associated with reliance on outside
financing to meet capital requirements, and the risks associated
with reliance on collaborators, including Bayer Schering,
MedImmune, Merck Serono, TRACON and Nycomed, for the funding or
conduct of further development and commercialization activities
relating to our product candidates. These factors and others are
more fully discussed in Micromet's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, filed with the SEC on
March 16, 2009, as well as other filings by the company with the
SEC. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such,
speak only as of the date made. Micromet, Inc. undertakes no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
DATASOURCE: Micromet, Inc. CONTACT: US Media, Andrea tenBroek, or
Chris Stamm, +1-781-684-0770, ; or US Investors, Susan Noonan,
+1-212-966-3650, ; or European Media, Ludger Wess,
+49-40-8816-5964, ; or European Investors, Ines-Regina Buth,
+49-30-2363-2768, , all for Micromet, Inc. Web Site:
http://www.micromet-inc.com/
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