Neoprobe Corporation (NYSE Amex: NEOP) today announced that it
has in-licensed the worldwide exclusive rights from AstraZeneca to
the late-stage radiopharmaceutical imaging candidate, AZD4694, for
aiding the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
AZD4694 is a Fluorine-18 labeled precision radiopharmaceutical
candidate for use in the imaging and evaluation of patients with
signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment such as AD. It binds to
Beta-amyloid deposits in the brain that can then be imaged in
positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Amyloid plaque pathology
is a required feature of AD diagnosis and the presence of amyloid
pathology is a supportive feature for diagnosis of probable AD.
Patients who are negative for amyloid pathology do not have AD.
Clinical studies in more than 70 patients suggest that AZD4694
has the ability to image patients quickly and safely with high
sensitivity. Importantly, AZD4694 exhibits low background and white
matter uptake, thereby providing clear images of Beta-amyloid
deposits. Neoprobe intends to initiate a Phase III clinical program
in early 2013, while simultaneously building the requisite safety
and training database. Patents and patent applications filed around
the world related to AZD4694 are effective until 2028.
“To gain the recognition of AstraZeneca through a rigorous
licensing process and secure such a promising late-stage imaging
asset is a strong endorsement of our development capability and
focus,” commented Neoprobe’s Executive Vice President and Chief
Business Officer, Thomas Tulip, Ph.D. “We believe AZD4694 has a
compelling global commercial outlook and should beneficially
facilitate development of more effective disease-modifying
therapies for Alzheimer´s disease. This potentially powerful
second-generation agent with apparent best-in-class properties has
demonstrated strong performance attributes. We believe AZD4694
imaging may be quite useful as an adjunct measure in the diagnosis
of this large, growing disease and may allow patients to seek
earlier, and therefore potentially more effective, treatment
options.”
“The discovery and development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s
disease is a top priority for AstraZeneca. This alliance couples
Neoprobe’s expertise in diagnostic imaging with our own expertise
in the discovery and development of innovative medicines, and will
further expand our ability to evaluate new treatments for
Alzheimer’s disease in the future,” said Christer K�hler, Vice
President and Head of CNS & Pain Innovative Medicines at
AstraZeneca.
“New Alzheimer’s disease imaging agents are potentially powerful
tools in aiding the diagnosis of AD and evaluation of new drugs
aiming to modify amyloid plaque levels and possibly alter disease
progression. Having worked in the development of first-generation
agents, early data suggests that AZD4694 may have imaging
performance and convenience attributes making it a best-in-class
prospect for accurate and earlier disease definition,” said Dr.
Kenneth Marek, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Molecular
NeuroImaging (MNI). MNI is a world leader in neuroscience and
radiopharmaceutical imaging for the diagnosis and monitoring of
neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. MNI will be a key
collaborator with Neoprobe in the clinical development of
AZD4694.
Financial terms of the in-licensing agreement include an upfront
payment of $5 million to AstraZeneca and a series of contingent
milestone payments including up to $6.5 million in potential
payments based on the achievement of clinical development and
regulatory filing milestones and up to additional $11 million due
following the receipt of regulatory approvals and the initiation of
commercial sales. In addition, Neoprobe will pay AstraZeneca
royalties on net sales of the approved product. AstraZeneca retains
the right to use AZD4694 in clinical trials to support development
of potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Licensing this important asset is consistent with the growth
strategy to build out our precision radiopharmaceutical pipeline
and transform Neoprobe into a leader in the development and
commercialization of targeted diagnostic agents,” stated Dr. Mark
Pykett, Neoprobe’s President and CEO. “We are encouraged to have
secured a high-quality, late-stage asset from a world-class partner
for a large and growing disease in a patient community with
significant unmet medical need. We are pleased to have structured
an agreement for an asset that we believe will return substantial
value to our shareholders and where a significant part of the
future compensation is based on the product’s approval and
ultimately product sales. We look forward to collaborating with
AstraZeneca on the progress of this agent and assisting them in the
development of their Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics.”
Neoprobe’s President and CEO, Dr. Mark Pykett, Executive Vice
President and CBO, Dr. Thomas Tulip, and Senior Vice President and
CFO, Brent Larson, will discuss the license transaction during a
conference call with the investment community scheduled for
tomorrow morning, December 13, 2011 at 8:30 AM EST. The conference
call can be accessed as follows:
Conference Call Information
TO PARTICIPATE LIVE:
TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY: Date:
Dec. 13, 2011 Available until: Dec. 27,
2011 Time: 8:30 AM ET Toll-free (U.S.) Dial in # : (877)
660-6853 International Dial in # : (201) 612-7415
Toll-free (U.S.) Dial in #: (877) 407-8033
Replay passcode: International Dial in #:
(201) 689-8033
Account #:
286
Conference ID #:
384608
About Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal
neurodegenerative disease which affects a person’s memory and
ability to learn, reason, communicate and carry out daily
activities. Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for AD and
there is no prevention or cure. The World Health Organization
estimates that Alzheimer’s disease affects over 24,000,000 people
worldwide. Currently in the U.S. alone, there are over 5 million
Alzheimer’s patients with estimates that by 2050, as many as 16
million Americans could have the disease according to the
Alzheimer’s Association. Among the brain changes believed to
contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s are the accumulation
of the protein beta-amyloid outside nerve cells (neurons) in the
brain and the accumulation of the protein tau inside neurons.
Approximately 75 to 100 experimental therapies aimed at diagnosing,
slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s are now in human
clinical trials.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical
business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and
commercialisation of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation,
oncology and infectious disease. AstraZeneca operates in over 100
countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of
patients worldwide. For more information please visit:
www.astrazeneca.com
About Neoprobe
Neoprobe Corporation (NYSE Amex: NEOP) is a biopharmaceutical
company focused on the development and commercialization of
precision diagnostics and radiopharmaceutical agents. Neoprobe is
actively developing three radiopharmaceutical agent platforms –
Lymphoseek®, AZD4694 and RIGScanTM CR – to help identify the sites
and pathways of undetected disease and enable better diagnostic
accuracy, clinical decision-making and ultimately patient care.
Neoprobe’s strategy is to deliver superior growth and shareholder
return by bringing to market novel radiopharmaceutical agents and
advancing the Company’s pipeline through selective acquisitions,
global partnering and commercialization efforts. For more
information, please visit www.neoprobe.com.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act)
provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on
behalf of the Company. Statements in this news release, which
relate to other than strictly historical facts, such as statements
about the Company’s plans and strategies, expectations for future
financial performance, new and existing products and technologies,
anticipated clinical and regulatory pathways, and markets for the
Company’s products are forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Act. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,”
“estimate,” “project,” and similar expressions identify
forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.
Investors are cautioned that such statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from historical or anticipated results due to many factors
including, but not limited to, the Company’s continuing operating
losses, uncertainty of market acceptance of its products, reliance
on third party manufacturers, accumulated deficit, future capital
needs, uncertainty of capital funding, dependence on limited
product line and distribution channels, competition, limited
marketing and manufacturing experience, risks of development of new
products, regulatory risks and other risks detailed in the
Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other
Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company undertakes
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements.
Neoprobe Corp. Common Stock (AMEX:NEOP)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 5월(5) 2024 으로 6월(6) 2024
Neoprobe Corp. Common Stock (AMEX:NEOP)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 6월(6) 2023 으로 6월(6) 2024