ChemGenex’s Omacetaxine to be showcased in three oral oresentations at EHA

May 21 2009

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that new data from two clinical studies and one pre-clinical study with omacetaxine will be presented at oral sessions during the forthcoming 14th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Berlin, Germany.

The latest clinical data from the pivotal study on the use of omacetaxine in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who harbor the T315I mutation, will be given at 8:00 am on Saturday June 6th by Dr. Mauricette Michallet, Department of Hematology, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.

Interim data from the company's complementary phase 2 study investigating the potential use of omacetaxine in CML patients with resistance to multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), will be presented at 8:15 am on Saturday June 6th by Dr. Meir Wetzler MD, Chief of the Division of Leukemia, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Finally Dr. Elaine Allen, Clinical Scientist at the Paul O'Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow in Scotland, UK, will present the results of a collaborative project investigating the ability of omacetaxine to kill human malignant CML stem cells which are insensitive to the tyrosine kinase inhibitors currently used to treat CML. This will take place at 8:30 am on Sunday June 7th.

Commenting on today's publication of the final program for EHA, Dr Greg Collier, Ph.D., Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ChemGenex said, "We are delighted that three studies on our late stage product candidate, omacetaxine, are being highlighted as oral presentations at this prestigious international conference. This outstanding achievement is testimony to the efforts of our clinical and academic collaborators across the globe, and we thank them for their ongoing support as we work to complete the US and European regulatory submissions for omacetaxine over coming months."

Omacetaxine mepesuccinate is a first-in-class cetaxine with demonstrated clinical activity as a single agent in a range of hematological malignancies. Omacetaxine has a novel mechanism of action, and induces apoptosis by inhibition of protein synthesis, particularly Mcl-1. As omacetaxine acts independently of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, it may have a therapeutic advantage for patients who have developed resistance to TKIs. Omacetaxine is administered subcutaneously.