QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AEterna Zentaris Inc. (TSX : AEZ, NASDAQ : AEZS) along with its partner, Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. , 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.
