AEterna Zentaris Announces Poster Presentations Highlighting Clinical and Preclinical Activity of Perifosine (KRX-0401) at the A
December 07 2006 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AEterna Zentaris Inc.
(TSX : AEZ, NASDAQ : AEZS) along with its partner, Keryx
Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KERX), today announced that seven
abstracts related to perifosine (KRX-0401) have been selected for
presentation during the poster sessions scheduled to take place at
the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) 48th Annual
Meeting and Exposition at the Orange County Convention Center in
Orlando, Florida (December 9 - 12, 2006). Copies of these
abstracts, which highlight the mechanism of action of perifosine
(KRX-0401), as well as observed clinical and preclinical activity,
are currently available and can be viewed on-line through the ASH
website: http://www.hematology.org/meetings/abstracts.cfm. Selected
abstracts include the following: Sunday, December 10th (9:00am): -
2416 (Board #594-II) Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Resistance to
the Akt Inhibitor Perifosine in Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia, the
Role of the ERK and PKC Pathways. Xavier Leleu, Hai Ngo, Xiaoying
Jia, Anne-Sophie Moreau, Evdoxia Hatjiharisi, Ruben Carrasco,
Garrett O'Sullivan, Judith Runnels, Yu-Tsu Tai, Steven Treon, Teru
Hideshima, Kenneth Anderson, Irene Ghobrial - 2417 (Board #595-II)
The PI3K/Akt Pathway Is an Important Regulator of Homing and
Adhesion in Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia. Xavier Leleu, Hai Ngo,
Judy Runnels, Costas Pitsillides, Joel Spencer, Anne-Sophie Moreau,
Evdoxia Hatjiharisi, Xiaoying Jia, Garrett O'Sullivan, Steven
Treon, Teru Hideshima, Charles Lin, Kenneth Anderson, Irene
Ghobrial - 2488 (Board #666-II) Perifosine, an Oral Bioactive Novel
Akt Inhibitor, Induces In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Activity in
Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia. Xavier Leleu, X. Jia, Anne-Sophie
Moreau, Evdoxia Hatjiharisi, Hai Ngo, G. O'Sullivan, Daisy Moreno,
Tanyel Kiziltepe, Enrique Ocio, Allen Ho, Thierry Facon, Steven
Treon, Teru Hideshima, Kenneth Anderson, Irene Ghobrial - 2517
(Board #695-II) Novel Agent Perifosine Enhances Antitumor Activity
of Bortezomib, Rituximab and Other Conventional Therapies in
Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia. Xavier Leleu, G. O'Sullivan, X.
Jia, Anne-Sophie Moreau, Hai Ngo, Evdoxia Hatjiharisi, Hiroshi
Yasui, Zachary Hunter, Yu-Tsu Tai, Judith Runnels, Steven Treon,
Teru Hideshima, Kenneth Anderson, Irene Ghobrial Monday, December
11th (10:30am): - 3410 (Board #639-III) Akt Inhibitor
Perifosine-Induced Cytotoxicity Is Associated with Significant
Downregulation of Survivin in Human Multiple Myeloma (MM) Cells.
Teru Hideshima, Hiroshi Yasui, Laurence Catley, Noopur Raje,
Dharminder Chauhan, Kenji Ishitsuka, Klaus Podar, Constantine
Mitsiades, Yu-Tzu Tai, Sonia Vallet, Tanyel Kizitepe, Enrique Ocio,
Hiroshi Ikeda, Yutaka Okawa, Hiromasa Hideshima, Nikhil C. Munshi,
Paul G. Richardson, Kenneth C. Anderson - 3446 (Board #675-III)
Perifosine Induces DR4/DR5 Expression Leading to Apoptosis That Can
Be Enhanced with Exogenous TRAIL, and Blocked with Strategies
Directed at DR4/DR5 Inhibition. Ebenezer David, Rajni Sinha,
Jonathan L. Kaufman, Sagar Lonial - 3582 (Board #811-III) A
Multicenter Phase II Study of Perifosine (KRX-0401) Alone and in
Combination with Dexamethasone (Dex) for Patients with Relapsed or
Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (MM). Paul Richardson, S.
Lonial, A. Jakubowiak, J. Wolf, A. Krishnan, J. Densmore, S.
Singhal, I. Ghobrial, L. Schwartzberg, K. Colson, J. Harris, T.
Kendall, B. Martineau, N. Obadike, K. Sullivan, S. Pearson, T.
Hideshima, L. Lai, P. Sportelli, L. Gardner, R. Birch, I.C.
Henderson, K.C. Anderson About Perifosine (KRX-0401) Perifosine
(KRX-0401) is a novel, first-in-class, oral anticancer agent that
modulates several key signal transduction pathways, including AKT,
MAPK, and JNK that have been shown to be critical for the survival
of cancer cells. Perifosine (KRX-0401) has demonstrated single
agent anti-tumor activity in Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies and is
currently being studied as a single agent and in combination with
several forms of anti-cancer treatments for various forms of
cancer. Perifosine (KRX-0401) is out-licensed to Keryx
Biopharmaceuticals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. About
AEterna Zentaris Inc. AEterna Zentaris Inc. is a growing global
biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology
with proven expertise in drug discovery, development and
commercialization. News releases and additional information are
available at http://www.aeternazentaris.com/. Forward-Looking
Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements
made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve
known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the
Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue
R&D projects, the successful and timely completion of clinical
studies, the ability of the Company to take advantage of business
opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related
to the regulatory process and general changes in economic
conditions. Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and
annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions
for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to
the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to rely
on these forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake
to update these forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: AETERNA
ZENTARIS INC. CONTACT: Media Relations: Paul Burroughs, (418)
573-8982, ; Investor Relations: Jenene Thomas, (418) 655-6420,
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