Secere Lupus - Immunomedics' Humanized anti-CD20 Antibody Effective

Main Category: Lupus
Article Date: 29 Mar 2005 - 11:00 PDT


Immunomedics, Inc (Nasdaq: IMMU) today announced that a patient with severe resistant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including the development of human antichimeric antibodies (HACA) against rituximab, responded to the Company's new humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody.

"To the best of my knowledge, this is the first case of a patient with severe SLE no longer responding to the chimeric rituximab anti-CD20 antibody being responsive to an investigational humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody," stated Dr. David A. Isenberg at the Centre for Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University College in London, in a just published Letter to the Editor in the journal, Rheumatology. "This case report not only demonstrates that B-cell depletion is effective in the management of patients with severe resistant SLE, but that in the presence of host antibody against the chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, rituximab, the humanized anti-CD20 antibody appeared to be effective," added Dr. Isenberg. Immunomedics provided its proprietary antibody on a compassionate use basis.

"We are pleased that our humanized CD20 antibody is effective in the management of severe SLE. This corroborates the thesis that SLE is a B-cell mediated disease and that B-cell targeted antibodies may be active in the treatment of this debilitating illness," commented Ivan D. Horak, M.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Scientific Officer of Immunomedics.

"The CD20 antibody is the second antibody in our clinical portfolio to have demonstrated activity in lupus patients. We expect to launch two pivotal phase III trials in the first half of calendar year 2005 in patients with moderate to severe lupus with our lead B-cell targeted antibody, epratuzumab," remarked Cynthia L. Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Immunomedics.

Immunomedics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of monoclonal, antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases. We have developed a number of advanced proprietary technologies that allow us to create humanized antibodies that can be used either alone in unlabeled or "naked" form, or conjugated with radioactive isotopes, chemotherapeutics or toxins, in each case to create highly targeted agents. Using these technologies, we have built a pipeline of therapeutic product candidates that utilize several different mechanisms of action. We believe that our portfolio of intellectual property, which includes approximately 90 issued patents in the United States, and more than 250 other issued patents worldwide, protects our product candidates and technologies.

This release, in addition to historical information, contains forward- looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including statements regarding clinical trials, out-licensing arrangements, and capital raising activities, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirements/actions), competitive risks to marketed products and availability of financing and other sources of capital, as well as the risks discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004. The Company is not under any obligation, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact:
Chau Cheng
Associate Director
Investor Relations & Business Analysis, (973) 605-8200, extension 123

Immunomedics
http://www.Immunomedics.com

• Additional
• References
• Citations