Coley Pharmaceutical Group and Pfizer Nominate Additional Anti-Cancer Compound for Clinical Development
October 30 2007 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
- Pfizer-funded Screening Agreement Fuels Discovery of Novel
Compounds, Complements Clinical Development Initiatives with
PF-3512676 - WELLESLEY, Mass., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLY), a biopharmaceutical
company discovering and developing a novel class of drug candidates
known as TLR Therapeutics(TM), announced today that Pfizer Inc, its
global collaborator in the area of cancer, has nominated a second
TLR9 agonist compound discovered by Coley for future clinical
development against cancers. This second generation drug candidate
is expected to complement Pfizer's ongoing clinical programs for
PF-3512676, Coley's lead therapeutic TLR9 agonist drug candidate,
for the treatment of cancer. "Our ability to discover and develop a
variety of pharmacologically unique TLR9 agonist compounds
demonstrates our dexterity in drug development, as well as the
breadth of our TLR Therapeutics technology platform," stated Robert
L. Bratzler, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer for Coley
Pharmaceutical Group. "Pfizer's selection of this new development
candidate is a strong testament to the potential of targeting the
TLR9 pathway and reflects Pfizer's commitment to discovering and
advancing TLR Therapeutic candidates capable of stimulating the
immune system to combat cancer." The new development candidate was
discovered by Coley under the two companies' strategic agreement in
which Pfizer funds the discovery and development of potential
next-generation TLR9 agonists for cancers, including cancer
vaccines. Pfizer has exclusive rights to two novel compounds
discovered under this agreement, while Coley retains the rights to
all other molecules. To date, Coley has designed and characterized
nearly 60 unique compounds, each of which elicits a distinct immune
stimulatory profile based on its interaction with TLR9. The newly
nominated compound, which is the first of two development
candidates, will now undergo preclinical studies to further assess
its pharmacokinetic and toxicology profiles before advancing into
clinical trials. Pfizer is currently investigating PF-3512676 in
combination with non-cytotoxic anti-cancer agents. A Phase II
clinical trial evaluating PF-3512676 in combination with Tarceva(R)
for the treatment of refractory non-small cell lung cancer, and a
Phase I clinical trial evaluating PF-3512676 in combination with
Pfizer's anti-CTLA4 antibody, tremelimumab, for the treatment of
advanced melanoma are both underway. Pfizer is currently planning
additional clinical trials with PF-3512676 to evaluate its safety
and potential efficacy in other cancer indications. About Coley
Pharmaceutical Group Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. is an
international biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in
Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, that discovers and develops TLR
Therapeutics(TM), a new class of investigational drug candidates
that direct the human immune system to fight cancers, allergy and
asthma disorders, and autoimmune diseases and to enhance the
effectiveness of vaccines. Coley has established a pipeline of TLR
Therapeutic product candidates currently advancing through clinical
development with partners and has additional product candidates in
preclinical development. Coley has product development, research
and license agreements with Pfizer, sanofi- aventis,
GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis Vaccines and the United States
government. For further information on Coley Pharmaceutical Group
please visit http://www.coleypharma.com/. Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this news release concerning Coley's business
are considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any or all of
the forward-looking statements in this press release may turn out
to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions Coley
might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties,
including, but not limited to: the early stage of product
development; uncertainties as to the future success of ongoing and
planned clinical trials; the risk that results from early stage
clinical trials may not be indicative of results in later stage
trials; the unproven safety and efficacy of products under
development; intellectual property rights and litigation;
competitive products; and other risks identified in Coley's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, but not
limited to, Coley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2006. Consequently, no forward-looking statement
can be guaranteed, and actual results may vary materially. Coley
undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking
statements, whether because of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as required by applicable law. DATASOURCE: Coley
Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. CONTACT: Investors, Susan Hager, Senior
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications of Coley
Pharmaceutical Group, Inc., +1-781-431-9019, ; Media, Karen L.
Bergman, +1-650-575-1509, , or Michelle Corral, +1-415-794-8662, ,
both of BCC Partners (US), all for Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc.
Web site: http://www.coleypharma.com/
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