AVANT Immunotherapeutics Announces Hart-Scott Rodino Clearance to License Cancer Vaccine to Pfizer
May 21 2008 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
PHILLIPSBURG, N.J., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Celldex Therapeutics (a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Nasdaq: AVAN)
announced today it has received Federal Trade Commission approval
under the Hart-Scott Rodino (HSR) Act, clearing AVANT's proposal to
award Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) exclusive rights to CDX-110, an
investigational vaccine currently under development. On April 16,
2008, Pfizer, Inc. and Celldex announced that they entered into an
agreement under which Pfizer would be granted an exclusive
worldwide license to CDX-110, currently being evaluated in a Phase
2 study for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The
agreement also gives Pfizer exclusive rights to the use of this
vaccine targeting the tumor specific EGFR mutant EGFRvIII in other
potential indications. About CDX-110 CDX-110 is designed to induce
or enhance the body's immune responses against EGFRvIII resulting
in destruction of tumor cells that express the variant receptor.
Single arm Phase 2 clinical trials of CDX-110 in combination with
the current standard treatment for patients with GBM have been
conducted. Updated clinical data will be released at the American
Society for Clinical Oncology Meeting in Chicago on June 2, 2008. A
randomized Phase 2 trial is currently enrolling at 24 sites across
the United States. About AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. AVANT
Immunotherapeutics and Celldex Therapeutics combined during the
first quarter of 2008. AVANT is a Nasdaq-listed company discovering
and developing innovative vaccines and targeted immunotherapeutics
for the treatment of cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases.
AVANT focuses on the use of tumor-specific targets and human
monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to precisely deliver therapeutic
agents through its novel "targeted immunization" approach. In
addition, AVANT is exploiting its access to proprietary human
antibody technology for development of therapeutic monoclonal
antibodies (mAbs). AVANT's deep product pipeline consists of
products in varying stages of development. Identification of the
potential of EGFRvIII in cancer diagnosis, prevention and therapy
was based on the collaborative efforts of Dr. Bert Vogelstein and
Dr. Albert Wong at Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Darell Bigner
at Duke University. Application of this discovery toward the
development of the CDX-110 vaccine was further advanced by Dr. John
Sampson and his colleagues at the Duke University Brain Tumor
Center in collaboration with Dr. Amy Heimberger at the MD Anderson
Cancer Center. AVANT has several other product candidates in its
development pipeline including: -- CDX-1307, a product based on its
proprietary APC Targeting Technology(TM), which is in two Phase 1
clinical trials for patients with advanced pancreatic, bladder,
breast and colon cancer; -- TP10, a complement inhibitor, in
development for transplantation and other indications; and -- Three
candidates based on oral, rapidly-protecting, single-dose and
temperature-stable vaccine technology, including combination
vaccines for travellers, the military and global health needs.
AVANT has three commercialized products, including Rotarix(R)
(partnered with GSK) for the prevention of rotavirus infection and
two human food safety vaccines for reducing salmonella infection in
chickens and eggs. Additional information on AVANT
Immunotherapeutics, Inc. can be obtained through its web site
http://www.avantimmune.com/. AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. Anthony
S. Marucci, 781-433-0771 Interim President and CEO BMC
Communications Marissa Nelson (212) 477-9007 x21 DATASOURCE:
Celldex Therapeutics CONTACT: Anthony S. Marucci, Interim President
and CEO, AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc., +1-781-433-0771; or
Marissa Nelson of BMC Communications for AVANT Immunotherapeutics,
Inc., +1-212-477-9007 x21 Web site:
http://www.celldextherapeutics.com/ http://www.avantimmune.com/
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