APHTON ANNOUNCES RESULTS FROM PHASE I WITH LEWIS Y

Aphton announced positive results from an open-label dose-escalating Phase I trial with IGN311, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the Lewis Y tumor-associated antigen.

Lewis Y is a factor known to be over-expressed in up to 90 percent of epithelial carcinomas, including breast, colon, gastric and pancreatic cancers. IGN311 is being developed as a potential new therapy for the treatment of Lewis Y positive tumors.

In this Phase I trial, IGN311 demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability, and advantageous pharmacokinetics with a serum half-life of more than 20 days. Data from the trial also indicate efficacy of IGN311 against Lewis Y-positive tumor cells circulating in peripheral blood. The number of such cells was significantly decreased in those patients that presented with detectable levels of such cells prior to first infusion.