Advertisement
"We believe the best way to maximize shareholder value now is to focus ourresources on our marketed and late-stage products," noted James A. Bianco,M.D., President and CEO of CTI.
Advertisement
"Recently published data describing the clinical benefit of Zevalin arecompelling and support the potential to expand its application into first-linetreatment of follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leading us to expand ourcommercial operations staffing from 11 percent to 21 percent of our totalheadcount with corresponding reductions elsewhere. We will continue to supportour two lead drug candidates, XYOTAX and pixantrone. This year we willcontinue to prepare for submission of a marketing authorization applicationfor XYOTAX and the evaluation of pivotal trial data for pixantrone. Our goalis to ensure that we succeed with Zevalin and are prepared for the futuremarket introductions of XYOTAX and pixantrone."
"On a personal note, while we are adding staff in some areas, it is withgreat disappointment that we must reduce headcount elsewhere in order to meetthese goals," Bianco added.
CTI has begun building a new sales and marketing department to supportZevalin sales. The company will be adding more than 13 positions for Zevalinand other potential drug sales. The Company has also increased staffing inregulatory and manufacturing in preparation for filing for approval of XYOTAXin Europe in March.
About ZEVALIN(R)
Zevalin (Ibritumomab Tiuxetan) is a form of cancer therapy calledradioimmunotherapy and is indicated for the treatment of patients withrelapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular B-cell NHL, including patientswith Rituximab-refractory NHL. It was approved by the FDA in February of 2002as the first radioimmunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of NHL.
Deaths associated with an infusion reaction symptom complex have occurredwithin 24 hours of rituximab infusions. Yttrium-90 Zevalin administrationresults in severe and prolonged cytopenias in most patients. Severe cutaneousand mucocutaneous reactions have been reported. The most serious adversereactions of the Zevalin therapeutic regimen were primarily hematologic,including neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. Infusion-relatedtoxicities were associated with pre-administration of rituximab. The risk ofhematologic toxicity correlated with the degree of bone marrow involvementprior to Zevalin therapy. Myelodysplasia or acute myelogenous leukemia wasobserved in 2 percent of patients (8 to 34 months after treatment). Zevalinshould only be used by health care professionals qualified by training andexperience in the safe use of radionuclides.
Patients and healthcare professionals can visit http://www.zevalin.com formore information.
About XYOTAX(TM)
XYOTAX(TM) (paclitaxel poliglumex, CT-2103) is an investigational,biologically-enhanced, chem
