Nymox's NX-1207 Shows Major Effect On Liver Cancer
Company Announces Positive NX-1207 Study Results in Animals With Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J., Aug 26, 2009 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation /quotes/comstock/15*!nymx/quotes/nls/nymx (NYMX 5.72, +1.43, +33.33%) is pleased to announce that NX-1207, the Company's lead drug in development, has been shown to repeatedly produce strongly positive results when given to animals with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the experimental studies, the cancers were significantly reduced in size after 2 local injections of NX-1207. The rodents in the studies had transplanted human HCC, a standard model for cancer research. These animals had an average tumor burden reduction of close to 50% after 20 days. The NX-1207 used in these studies is a different formulation and a higher dosage from that of NX-1207 used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The Company intends to advance NX-1207 into human clinical trials for the treatment of HCC.
There is a large unmet need for new treatments for HCC, the cause of about 90% of primary liver cancer cases in adults. Worldwide, primary liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer but because of very poor survival rates is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Each year more than 600,000 people are diagnosed with primary liver cancer and approximately 600,000 die of the disease. Liver cancer is most common in the Far East, with more than 400,000 cases diagnosed each year in China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The incidence of HCC is increasing in the US and the EU, primarily due to HCC associated with hepatitis C infection, a major risk factor for the cancer.
More information on the NX-1207 program's tumor results will be presented at a later date.
NX-1207 is a novel drug developed by Nymox which is in Phase 3 development for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The drug has been successful in a series of blinded controlled multi-center U.S. clinical trials where it has been found to produce improvements that are about double that reported for currently approved BPH drugs. NX-1207 is administered by a urologist in an office procedure that takes only a few minutes and involves little or no pain or discomfort. Patients notice improvement as early as a week or two after treatment. Follow-up studies have shown that many men showed continued benefit from a single NX-1207 treatment for 2 years or more. NX-1207 treatment does not require the patient to take pills daily for the rest of his life, like currently approved BPH medications, and does not have the side effects associated with approved drugs which can include sexual dysfunction, dizziness and other adverse reactions.
BPH is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the U.S. adult male population. Up to 46% of men between the ages of 40 and 79 suffer from moderate to severe urinary problems and symptoms associated with BPH. The condition can seriously impact health and quality of life and can lead to urinary retention, incontinence, and other serious consequences.
More information about Nymox is available at www.nymox.com, email: [email protected], or 800-936-9669.
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from management's current expectations. Such factors are detailed from time to time in Nymox's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.