PRESS RELEASE
April 4, 2012, 12:01 a.m. EDT
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Apr 04, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Regulatory News:
EpiCept Corporation (nasdaq omx stockholm exchange and otcqx:EPCT) announced today that new preclinical research for its apoptosis inhibitor drug candidate EP1013 (now renamed F573) has concluded that F573 is a new therapeutic drug candidate for the treatment of late-stage viral infection-induced hepatitis. The data were published in the Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin (2102 Volume 28 (1):136-139). F573 was discovered by EpiCept and licensed to GNI Group Ltd. in 2008 for clinical development in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
F573 delivered intravenously demonstrated a therapeutic effect in a study involving 60 mice with acute liver injury, including a reduction in TNF-a and cell apoptosis. GNI Group Ltd. also noted that F573 reduced mice mortality caused by acute liver injury and that these animal studies provide important proof and direction for future human studies.
EpiCept President and CEO Jack Talley commented, “This is the first published evidence of F573’s activity in viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver caused mainly by three specific viruses (hepatitis A, B and C). According to the C. Everett Koop Institute, 3-5 million Americans are infected with hepatitis C alone, with at least 170 million people infected globally. GNI’s continued progress against this disease may enable us to advance the development of the compound in other territories, particularly North America and Europe.”
As part of its license agreement with GNI Group Ltd., EpiCept is eligible to receive milestone payments of more than $12 million based on the clinical advancement of F573 in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as royalties on commercial sales. EpiCept retains the commercial rights to F573/EP1013 in all other markets. The next potential milestone payment would occur in conjunction with initiation of a Phase I trial in any of the territories outlined in the agreement. In July 2011, Shanghai Genomics, a wholly owned subsidiary of GNI Group Ltd., filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for F573 in China.
About EP1013/F573
F573 is a di-peptide small-molecule compound with a potent inhibitory effect on caspases, a class of enzymes involved in cell death and inflammation. Drug efficacy has been shown in animal models relating to liver failure, brain ischemia and myocardial infarction. GNI Group Ltd. has secured a series of patent rights for F573 in China, Japan other key territories from EpiCept Corporation to develop this drug for liver diseases.
About EpiCept Corporation
EpiCept is focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of pain and cancer. The Company's pain portfolio includes AmiKet™, a prescription topical analgesic cream in late-stage clinical development designed to provide effective long-term relief of pain associated with peripheral neuropathies. The Company's lead oncology product is Ceplene®, which has been granted full marketing authorization by the European Commission for the remission maintenance and prevention of relapse in adult patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in first remission. The Company has other oncology drug candidates currently in clinical development that were discovered using in-house technology and have been shown to act as vascular disruption agents in a variety of solid tumors.
In January 2012, EpiCept engaged SunTrust Robinson Humphrey to assist the Company in exploring strategic alternatives to maximize the commercial opportunity of AmiKet™ for the treatment of CIPN following taxane-based therapy. The engagement is focused on the identification and implementation of a strategy designed to optimize AmiKet’s value for the Company’s stockholders, which includes the evaluation of potential transactions involving the sale of the Company.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release and any oral statements made with respect to the information contained in this news release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements which express plans, anticipation, intent, contingency, goals, targets, future development and are otherwise not statements of historical fact. These statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or developments to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results or developments to differ materially include: the risk that the development of our EP1013 product candidate will not be successful, the risk that we will not be able to find a partner to help conduct the Phase III trials for AmiKet™ on attractive terms, a timely basis or at all, the risk that Ceplene® will not receive regulatory approval or marketing authorization in the United States or Canada, the risk that Ceplene® will not achieve significant commercial success, the risk that any required post-approval clinical study for Ceplene® will not be successful, the risk that we will not be able to maintain our final regulatory approval or marketing authorization for Ceplene®, the risk that Azixa™ will not receive regulatory approval or achieve significant commercial success, the risk that we will not receive any significant payments under our agreement with Myrexis, , the risk that clinical trials for AmiKet™ or crolibulin(TM) will not be successful, the risk that AmiKet™ or crolibulin(TM) will not receive regulatory approval or achieve significant commercial success, the risk that our other product candidates that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in larger-scale or later-stage clinical trials, the risk that we will not obtain approval to market any of our product candidates, the risks associated with the adequacy of our existing cash resources and our ability to continue as a going concern, the risks associated with our ability to continue to meet our obligations under our existing debt agreements, the risks associated with dependence upon key personnel, the risks associated with reliance on collaborative partners and others for further clinical trials, development, manufacturing and commercialization of our product candidates; the cost, delays and uncertainties associated with our scientific research, product development, clinical trials and regulatory approval process; our history of operating losses since our inception; the highly competitive nature of our business; risks associated with litigation; and risks associated with our ability to protect our intellectual property. These factors and other material risks are more fully discussed in our periodic reports, including our reports on Forms 8-K, 10-Q and 10-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are urged to carefully review and consider the disclosures found in our filings which are available at www.sec.gov or at www.epicept.com . You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, any of which could turn out to be wrong due to inaccurate assumptions, unknown risks or uncertainties or other risk factors.
*Azixa is a registered trademark of Myrexis, Inc.
EPCT-GEN
SOURCE: EpiCept Corporation
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