“Maintaining Remission in AML - The Challenge”
EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and Nasdaq OMX Stockholm Exchange: EPCT) today announced that the commercial launch of Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) will take place in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2010 in conjunction with the British Society for Haematology 50th Annual Scientific Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ceplene is approved in the European Union for the remission maintenance and prevention of relapse in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in first remission. The launch is being conducted by Meda AB, (OMX Nordic Exchange: MEDA-A-ST) as part of an exclusive commercialization agreement for Ceplene signed by the two companies in January 2010. Meda is a leading international specialty pharmaceutical company with products sold in 120 countries worldwide and a marketing organization of about 1,200 people throughout Europe.
"We are very pleased that Ceplene will soon be readily available to clinicians in the U.K. and that patients will be able to reap the benefits of the only immunomodulator proven to show a clear benefit in prolonging leukemia-free survival and preventing relapse in AML patients," said Jack Talley, president and chief executive officer of EpiCept. "We look forward to working closely with Meda for the drug's next expected launch in Germany, and ultimately throughout Europe."
In support of the commercial launch for Ceplene, Meda will be holding a Satellite Symposium session on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at the aforementioned scientific meeting. The session, entitled "Maintaining Remission in AML - The Challenge," will be co-chaired by Dr. Alan K. Burnett and Dr. Jonathen Kell. Dr. Burnett is a Professor in the Department of Haemotology in the School of Medicine at Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales and chairman of the collaborative group of the Medical Research Council in the U.K. Dr. Kell is a professor at Cardiff University's School of Medicine, Department of Haemotology. Meda is expected to begin shipping Ceplene to clinicians at the end of April.
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