YMB YM Bio.'b'ser1

    YM BioSciences' partner, Oncoscience AG, commences patient treatment in

    phase III trial in Germany with nimotuzumab

 

    MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 27 /CNW/ - YM BioSciences Inc. (AMEX:YMI, TSX:YM,

AIM:YMBA), the cancer product development company, today announced that its

partner, Oncoscience AG, has commenced patient treatment for its Phase III

trial of nimotuzumab in combination with radiation in children with diffuse,

intrinsic pontine (brain stem) glioma. The first three patients were recruited

within the last week.

    The trial is a single arm study in which 40 children with inoperable

pontine glioma will be treated with radiation concomitant with nimotuzumab.

The primary clinical endpoints in the trial will be progression-free survival

with median survival as secondary endpoint. Clinical sites will be located in

Germany, Italy, Belarus and Russia and it is anticipated that recruitment

could be complete within approximately 12 months after the start of patient

enrolment. Based on historical data reporting progression-free survival and

median survival for this form of cancer of approximately 5.5 months and 8.5

months respectively, Oncoscience expects the trial should be completed in the

first half of 2007.

    YM BioSciences has previously announced that it and its majority owned

subsidiary, CIMYM Inc., propose to file for authorization to conduct a trial

in a similar patient population in North America. In addition YM is

undertaking the clinical development of nimotuzumab in Non-Small Cell Lung

Cancer. YM's licensor, CIMAB SA and its parent, the Center for Molecular

Immunology, are conducting trials with nimotuzumab in glioma, breast,

esophageal, uterine cervix, prostate and head and neck cancer.

 

    About Oncoscience AG

    Oncoscience AG is a private biotech company based in Germany and is

focused in Oncology (nimotuzumab), Organ Transplantation (Lifor) and tumor

tissue banking including research in Genomics/Proteomics.

 

    About YM BioSciences

    YM BioSciences Inc. is a cancer product development company. Its lead

drug, tesmilifene, is a small molecule chemopotentiator currently undergoing a

700-patient pivotal Phase III trial in metastatic and recurrent breast cancer.

Published results from tesmilifene's first Phase III trial in the same

indication demonstrated a substantial increase in survival for women treated

with the combination of tesmilifene and chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy

alone, demonstrating that tesmilifene significantly enhanced the therapeutic

effect of chemotherapy.

    In addition to tesmilifene and nimotuzumab, the Company is also

developing an anti-GnRH anti-cancer vaccine, Norelin(TM), for which Phase II

data have been released. YM's subsidiary DELEX Therapeutics Inc. is developing

AeroLEF(TM), a unique inhalation delivered formulation of the established

drug, fentanyl, to treat acute pain including cancer pain. This product has

completed a Phase IIa trial with positive results and a randomized Phase IIb

pain trial is ongoing. The Company also has a broad portfolio of preclinical

compounds shown to act as chemopotentiators while protecting normal cells.

 

    Except for historical information, this press release may contain

forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current expectation

regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risk and

uncertainties, which may cause 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.

 

    /For further information: Enquiries: Thomas Fechtner, The Trout Group

LLC, Tel. (212) 477-9007 x31, Fax (212) 460-9028, Email:

tfechtner(at)troutgroup.com; James Smith, The Equicom Group Inc., Tel.   

(416) 815-0700 x 229, Fax (416) 815-0080, Email: jsmith(at)equicomgroup.com/

    (YM.  YMI)

 

 



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