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"We are pleased to play such an important role in the development of thispromising new HIV therapy," said Chris Petropoulos, Monogram's ChiefScientific Officer. "Monogram continues to help pave the path for many of themost highly anticipated new HIV drugs in development."
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Trofile is a patient selection co-receptor tropism assay that determineswhether a patient is infected with a strain of HIV that uses the CCR5 co-receptor, the CXCR4 co-receptor, or a combination of CCR5 and CXCR4 to entercells. Trofile is the only clinically validated tropism assay and has beenused to select patients in all phase 2 and phase 3 studies of CCR5 antagoniststo date.
About PRO 140
Progenics announced the start of the phase 2 program for PRO 140 inJanuary 2008. PRO 140 is a novel monoclonal antibody that binds CCR5 and isdesigned to prevent HIV from entering immune system cells and thereby preventviral replication, which occurs within the cells. CCR5 is also a receptor forchemokines, members of a family of protein molecules that are secreted bycells as part of the body's natural inflammatory response. Unlike small-molecule CCR5 antagonists, PRO 140 inhibits HIV entry at concentrations thatin vitro do not appear to block CCR5's natural function, which includes, inpart, directing the migration of immune cells towards sites of inflammation inthe body.
About Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Tarrytown, NY, is a biopharmaceuticalcompany focusing on the development and commercialization of innovativetherapeutic products to treat the unmet medical needs of patients withdebilitating conditions and life-threatening diseases. Principal programs aredirected toward gastroenterology as well as the treatment of HIV infection andcancer. The Company, in collaboration with Wyeth, is developingmethylnaltrexone for the treatment of opioid-induced side effects, includingconstipation (oral and subcutaneous formulations) and post-operative ileus(intravenous formulation). In March 2007, the Company submitted a New DrugApplication to the United States Food and Drug Administration for thesubcutaneous formulation of methylnaltrexone for patients suffering fromopioid-induced constipation while receiving palliative care, followed in May2007 by Wyeth's submission of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) inEurope to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). In the area of HIV infection,the Company is developing the viral-entry inhibitor PRO 140, a humanizedmonoclonal antibody targeting the HIV entry co-receptor CCR5, which hascompleted phase 1b clinical studies with positive results. In the area ofprostate cancer, the Company is developing a human monoclonal antibody drugconjugate -- a selectively targeted cytotoxic antibody directed againstprostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein found on the surface ofprostate cancer cells. Progenics is also developing vaccines designed tostimulate an immune response to PSMA.
About Monogram
Monogram is a biotechnology company advancing individualized medicine bydiscovering, developing and marketing innovative products to guide and improvetreatment of serious infectious dise
