Press Release Source: Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation
First American Gains Therapeutic Benefit From REXIN-G, the Leading
Tumor-Targeted Gene Therapy Vector for Pancreatic Cancer
Thursday May 13, 4:11 pm ET
LOS ANGELES, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Epeius Biotechnologies
Corporation (www.epeiusbiotech.com), today announced that the first
American with advanced pancreatic cancer has responded favorably to
Rexin-G, the leading tumor- targeted injectable gene therapy vector
for metastatic cancer. While Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation has
recently gained FDA approval to open Phase I/II clinical trials in
the United States, the first American patient opted to travel to
Manila, Philippines, to receive the gene therapy intervention there,
where the first clinical studies using Rexin-G for pancreatic cancer
were conducted (International Journal of Oncology, January, 2004).
Over a one-month period, Rexin-G induced a progressive reduction in
the size of his pancreatic tumor, and disappearance or shrinkage of
his liver tumors without serious side effects.
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The landmark clinical trial in cancer gene therapy was conducted by
Drs. Conrado Lorenzo III and Gerardo H. Cornelio in a world-class
tertiary care hospital in Manila. The clinical trials using Rexin-G
for pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors in Manila is the result
of a global initiative of Drs. Frederick L. Hall and Erlinda M.
Gordon, founders of Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation, to bring this
targeted cancer intervention to the world. Dr. Gordon, an Asian-
American physician/scientist was recently awarded a plaque of
recognition and a proclamation for her contributions in the field of
biotechnology by the City of Los Angeles Mayor (James K. Hahn) and
Councilmen. Rexin-G gained U.S. FDA orphan drug approval for
pancreatic cancer in the Fall of 2003, providing further product
validation and exclusivity in the marketplace for years to come.
In a statement to the press, Dr. Hall, President and CEO of Epeius
Biotechnologies remarked that, "The realization that Rexin-G works
well in Americans too could catalyze the financial support needed to
rapidly expand the clinical trials in the United States."
However, when questions about curing cancer inevitably arose, Dr.
Hall emphasized caution: "We know that the implications of the TDS
[targeted delivery system] technology are profound. However, while
the targeting technology is indeed effective in delivering cancer-
killing genes to metastatic tumors, and we are accumulating clinical
evidence that Rexin-G is effective in pancreatic cancer, discussions
about 'cure' is premature, as this conclusion can only be made after
extensive critical analysis of the results of a large number of
clinical trials has been performed."
About Epeius Biotechnologies
Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation is a privately held
biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to develop and
commercialize the first truly effective Targeted Delivery System
(TDS) that can be injected directly into a vein to deliver genes and
molecular therapeutics preferentially to cancerous tumors that have
spread throughout the body (metastatic cancer), without eliciting
systemic side effects or organ damage. Its lead product, Rexin-G, is
the first tumor-targeted injectable gene therapy vector that has been
approved by both the U.S. FDA and the Philippine BFAD (FDA
counterpart) for use in Phase I/II clinical trials for pancreatic and
colon cancer.
More information:
http://www.epeiusbiotech.com
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by
Send2Press(TM), a unit of Neotrope®.
http://www.Send2Press.com
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Source: Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation