PharmaFrontiers Corp. (OTCBB: PFTR), a company involved in the development and commercialization of cell therapies, announced today that the protocol for its Phase IIb clinical trial of Tovaxin(TM), a novel T cell therapeutic vaccine for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

"PharmaFrontiers is very excited to receive a 'green light' from the FDA for our Phase IIb clinical trial. Our earlier open-label Phase I/II clinical trials not only gave us the safety and tolerability data we sought, but we also observed a trend towards a reduction in annualized relapse rate (ARR) in excess of 90%, the lowering of the myelin-peptide reactive T cells (MRTCs) in patients blood and the improvement in patients' clinical measures," said David B. McWilliams, chief executive officer of PharmaFrontiers. "The Tovaxin clinical program continues to show promising results and we believe that the completion of this Phase IIb clinical trial will allow us to launch a Phase III pivotal trial."

Tovaxin is a trivalent formulation of attenuated MRTCs, which are derived from peripheral blood and produced ex vivo as myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) reactive T cells. MRTCs are believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MS. Because several myelin antigens are described as potential autoantigens for MS, depletion of MRTCs using a trivalent formulation may have enhanced therapeutic effects.

This multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIb clinical study is designed primarily to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the Tovaxin T Cell therapy with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and early relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients. Additionally, the study of these patients will evaluate biomarkers of Tovaxin's efficacy and to evaluate the effect of Tovaxin on immune deviation and epitope spreading.

"We believe that the protocol design will allow us to study the clinical effects of Tovaxin in a group of patients requiring a safe and effective therapy," said Edward J. Fox, M.D., Ph. D., director of The MS Clinic of Central Texas (Austin) and the lead principal investigator for the upcoming clinical studies. "During this two-arm, 52-week, parallel-group study, patients will be given five subcutaneous injections at 0, 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks. The analyses will be performed at the end of the 52-week study to assess the safety and efficacy of Tovaxin. The primary efficacy variable is the cumulative number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions on T1-weighted MRI summed over the Week 28, 36, 44, and 52 MRIs. The secondary efficacy variables are the cumulative number of new gadolinium-enhancing lesions at Weeks 28-52, the change in T2-weighted lesion volume, and the annualized relapse rate. Of the 150 patients participating in the trial, 100 will receive Tovaxin and 50 will receive the placebo."

All patients who complete the trial will be eligible to participate in an optional one-year extension study, in which they will receive Tovaxin open-label. The open-label study is being planned under a different protocol that will be submitted to the FDA.

"A patient-specific therapeutic vaccination strategy, Tovaxin T cell vaccine is formulated using the MS patient's own myelin peptide-specific activated T cell lines, which are harvested and attenuated on the day of vaccine administration," said Jim C. Williams, Ph.D., PharmaFrontiers chief operating officer. "The shelf-life of the final product is approximately three days."

PharmaFrontiers will be conducting the Phase IIb with its clinical development partner, INC Research, Raleigh, NC.

About PharmaFrontiers Corp.

PharmaFrontiers' strategy is to develop and commercialize cell therapies to treat several major disease areas such as cardiac and pancreatic conditions and Multiple Sclerosis. PharmaFrontiers owns patented and proprietary individualized cell therapies that are in FDA Phase I/II human dose ranging clinical trials to evaluate their safety and effectiveness in treating MS. The company also holds the exclusive worldwide license from the University of Chicago, through its prime contractor relationship with Argonne National Laboratory, for patents relating to the use of adult pluripotent stem cells derived from patients' own circulating blood.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including statements about PharmaFrontiers' growth and future operating results, discovery and development of products, strategic alliances and intellectual property, as well as other matters that are not historical facts or information. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including those relating to PharmaFrontiers' ability to obtain additional funding, develop its stem cell technologies, achieve its operational objectives, and obtain patent protection for its discoveries, that may cause PharmaFrontiers' actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. PharmaFrontiers undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Business Wire

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