OTTAWA, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Nordion, the world's
leading provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceutical services, has
signed a three-year contract with Bradmer Pharmaceuticals Inc. for the
development and clinical trial supply of Neuradiab, a monoclonal antibody
conjugated to iodine-131 used to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most
common and deadly form of brain cancer.
"MDS Nordion is thrilled to team up with Bradmer Pharmaceuticals in their
fight against this terrible disease," said Steve West, President of MDS
Nordion. "We are pleased that our world-class cGMP facilities, wealth of
expertise and dedication to bringing products to market quickly will
contribute to Neuradiab's development and its potential success."
According to the World Health Organization, GBM is usually fatal and up
to 10,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in North America alone. Currently
in clinical trials, to date, Neuradiab has been proven to be safe and
effective in delivering tumor-killing radiation specifically to residual brain
tumor cells following surgery, with minimal impact on the surrounding normal
brain tissue.
"In six completed clinical trials involving over 160 glioblastoma
multiforme cancer patients, Neuradiab has demonstrated a significant survival
benefit over historical controls. This new agreement with MDS Nordion is an
important step in our preparation for a planned multi-center clinical trial
for Neuradiab," said Mark C. Rogers, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Bradmer
Pharmaceuticals Inc. "We chose MDS Nordion based on their experience and
standards of quality in developing and producing radiotherapeutics."
About MDS Nordion
MDS Nordion (www.mds.nordion.com) is a world leader in radioisotopes,
radiation and related technologies. MDS Nordion is part of MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS;
NYSE:MDZ). MDS Inc. has more than 8,800 highly skilled people in 28 countries.
We provide a diverse range of superior products and services to increase our
customers' speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and
disease diagnosis processes. We are a global, values-driven health and life
sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative
relationships as we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease.
Find out more at www.mdsintl.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.
About Bradmer Pharmaceuticals Inc. (www.bradmerpharma.com)
Bradmer Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on the
development and commercialization of new and innovative cancer therapies.
Bradmer's lead clinical candidate, Neuradiab, was developed at Duke University
Medical Center as a proprietary therapy for a particularly aggressive form of
brain cancer. During the course of development at Duke University, over
US$60 million in research grants and related support has produced a series of
7 Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. Approximately 200 brain cancer
patients, including over 160 with GBM, have been treated with the Neuradiab
therapy regimen, and survival benefits have significantly exceeded historical
controls in each and every completed trial. Bradmer is currently in the
process of organizing a multi-center clinical trial of the licensed treatment.
Neuradiab was recently granted Orphan Drug Status by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
SOURCE MDS Nordion
-0- 04/19/2006
/CONTACT: Shelley Maclean, External Communications, MDS Nordion,
Tel: (613) 592-3400 ext. 2414, E-mail: shelley.maclean@mdsinc.com/
(MDS. MDZ)
CO: MDS Nordion; MDS Inc.
ST: Ontario
IN: HEA
SU: CON
-30-
SB
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