CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2006--ARIAD
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARIA) today announced that clinical
investigators from U.S. and European cancer centers will present
updated data from Phase 2 and Phase 1b clinical trials of the
Company's novel mTOR inhibitor, AP23573, at the annual meeting of the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Atlanta, Georgia, June
2 to 6, 2006. Comprehensive analysis of the Phase 2 clinical results
on AP23573 as a single agent in patients with advanced soft-tissue and
bone sarcoma will be delivered as an oral presentation during the
clinical science symposium highlighting mTOR as a molecular target in
sarcoma. Phase 1b clinical results on AP23573 in combination with the
chemotherapy agent capecitabine in patients with a broad range of
solid tumors will also be presented.
"We continue to make excellent progress in the clinical
development of our lead oncology product candidate, AP23573, and are
on track to launch our pivotal trial in patients with sarcomas by
year-end 2006," said Harvey J. Berger, M.D., chairman and chief
executive officer of ARIAD.
Camille Bedrosian, M.D., chief medical officer of ARIAD, added,
"We recently marked an important milestone in this drug-development
program: the very first patient ever dosed with AP23573 in 2003
celebrated her third anniversary on AP23573 therapy - an inspiring
example of the highly targeted and durable beneficial activity of
AP23573 in patients with aggressive and advanced sarcomas."
The schedule and meeting places for the sessions, together with the
abstract numbers, are listed below:
Monday, June 5, 2006 at 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Oral Presentation
Session Title: Clinical Science Symposium - "mTOR as a Molecular
Target in Sarcoma"
Abstract No. 9505
"Updated results of a phase 2 trial of AP23573, a novel mTOR
inhibitor, in patients with advanced soft tissue or bone sarcomas"
Presenter: Sant P. Chawla, M.D.
Location: Building A, Level 4, Room A411
Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Poster Presentation
Session Title: Developmental Therapeutics: Molecular Therapeutics
Abstract No. 3065; Poster No. Y7
"Phase 1b pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) study to
define the optimal dose for combining the mTOR inhibitor AP23573 with
capecitabine"
Presenter: Antonella Perotti, M.D.
Location: Building B, Level 1, Hall B5
Investor Conference Call
In conjunction with the release of the data at ASCO, ARIAD will
host an investor conference call on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.
(ET). The webcast/conference call can be accessed by visiting the
investor relations section of the Company's website at
http://www.ariad.com/investor or by dialing 1-888-396-2298 (domestic)
or 617-847-8708 (international) five minutes prior to the start time
and providing the passcode 73326584. A replay of the webcast will be
available on the ARIAD website approximately two hours after
completion of the call and will be archived for two weeks.
About AP23573
ARIAD's lead product candidate, AP23573, is a novel small-molecule
inhibitor of the protein mTOR, a "master switch" in cancer cells.
Blocking mTOR creates a starvation-like effect in cancer cells by
interfering with cell growth, division, metabolism, and angiogenesis.
AP23573 is currently in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in patients with
solid tumors and hematologic cancers. AP23573 has been designated both
as a fast-track product and an orphan drug by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and as an orphan drug by the European Medicines Agency
for the treatment of soft tissue and bone sarcomas. In addition to its
program in oncology, ARIAD is collaborating with Medinol Ltd to
develop stents and other medical devices that deliver AP23573 to
prevent reblockage at sites of vascular injury following
stent-assisted angioplasty.
About ARIAD
ARIAD is engaged in the discovery and development of breakthrough
medicines to treat cancer by regulating cell signaling with small
molecules. The Company is developing a comprehensive approach to
patients with cancer that addresses the greatest medical need -
aggressive and advanced-stage cancers for which current treatments are
inadequate. Medinol Ltd. also is developing stents and other medical
devices that deliver ARIAD's lead cancer product candidate to prevent
reblockage at sites of vascular injury following stent-assisted
angioplasty. ARIAD has an exclusive license to pioneering technology
and patents related to certain NF-(kappa)B treatment methods, and the
discovery and development of drugs to regulate NF-(kappa)B
cell-signaling activity, which may be useful in treating certain
diseases. Additional information about ARIAD can be found on the web
at http://www.ariad.com.
Some of the matters discussed herein are "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are identified by the use of words
such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend,"
"plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in
connection with any discussion of future operating or financial
performance. Such statements are based on management's current
expectations and are subject to certain factors, risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results, outcome of events, timing
and performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not
limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding our ability to
accurately estimate the timing and actual R&D expenses and other costs
associated with the preclinical and clinical development and
manufacture of our product candidates, the adequacy of our capital
resources and the availability of additional funding, risks and
uncertainties regarding our ability to manufacture or have
manufactured our product candidates on a commercial scale, risks and
uncertainties regarding our ability to successfully enroll and conduct
clinical studies of product candidates, risks and uncertainties that
clinical trial results at any phase of development may be adverse or
may not be predictive of future results or lead to regulatory approval
of any of our or any partner's product candidates, risks and
uncertainties of third-party intellectual property claims relating to
our and any partner's product candidates, and risks and uncertainties
relating to regulatory oversight, the timing, scope, cost and outcome
of legal proceedings in the U.S. District Court and reexamination
proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office concerning our
NF-(kappa)B patent portfolio, future capital needs, key employees,
dependence on collaborators and manufacturers, markets, economic
conditions, products, services, prices, reimbursement rates,
competition and other factors detailed in the Company's public filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including ARIAD's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005. The
information contained in this document is believed to be current as of
the date of original issue. The Company does not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements after the date of this document to
conform these statements to actual results or to changes in the
Company's expectations, except as required by law.
CONTACT: Investors:
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Edward Fitzgerald, 617-621-2345
or
Media:
Pure Communications
Sheryl Seapy, 949-608-0841
SOURCE: ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
