Helsinn Group and MEI Pharma Announce Long-Term Survival and Response Data from Phase II Clinical Study of Pracinostat in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Accepted for Oral Presentation at Upcoming American Soc

Lugano, Switzerland and San Diego (ots/PRNewswire) -

Data to be presented on December 3, 2016; Abstract now available
online

Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality
cancer care products, and MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP), an
oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel
therapies for cancer, today announced that long-term survival and
response data from a Phase II clinical study of Pracinostat and
azacitidine in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia have been
selected for oral presentation at the upcoming American Society of
Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego on December 3-6, 2016.

An abstract of the presentation was published today on the ASH
website at http://www.hematology.org. In accordance with ASH
policies, information that goes beyond that which is contained within
the abstract is embargoed until the Annual Meeting.

Title: A Phase 2 Study of Pracinostat and Azacitidine in Older
Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Not Eligible for Induction
Chemotherapy: Response and Long-Term Survival Benefit

Session Name: 616. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Novel Therapy,
excluding Transplantation: Novel Agents in AML Therapy

Session Date: Saturday, December 3, 2016

Session Time: 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Presentation Time: 10:15 AM

Room: Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, San Diego Ballroom AB

About Pracinostat

Pracinostat is a potential best-in-class, oral histone deacetylase
(HDAC) inhibitor. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted
Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Pracinostat in combination with
azacitidine for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed AML
who are >=75 years of age or unfit for intensive chemotherapy. In
August 2016, Helsinn and MEI Pharma entered into an exclusive
licensing, development and commercialization agreement for
Pracinostat in AML and other potential indications. The deal provides
the complementary resources from both organizations to rapidly
advance Pracinostat into Phase III clinical development and expand
into additional indications, including high-risk myelodysplastic
syndrome (MDS).

About AML

Acute myeloid leukemia (also known as acute myelogenous leukemia)
is the most common acute leukemia affecting adults, and its incidence
is expected to continue to increase as the population ages. The
American Cancer Society estimates about 20,830 new cases of AML per
year in the U.S., with an average age of about 67 years. Treatment
options for AML remain virtually unchanged for nearly 40 years. Front
line treatment consists primarily of chemotherapy, while the National
Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
recommend hypomethylating agents azacitidine or decitabine as low
intensity treatment options for AML patients over the age of 60 who
are unsuitable for induction chemotherapy.

About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a privately owned cancer care pharmaceutical group with
an extensive portfolio of marketed products and a broad development
pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives
of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and
quality, through a unique integrated licensing business model working
with long standing partners in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and
nutritional supplement products. Helsinn is headquartered in Lugano,
Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Ireland and the US, a
representative office in China, as well as a product presence in
about 90 countries globally. For more information, please visit
http://www.helsinn.com.

About MEI Pharma

MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology
company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for
cancer. The Company's portfolio of drug candidates includes
Pracinostat, an oral HDAC inhibitor being developed in combination
with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed
AML who are >=75 years of age or unfit for intensive chemotherapy and
high-risk MDS. The Company's clinical development pipeline also
includes ME-401, an oral PI3K delta inhibitor currently in a Phase Ib
study in patients with recurrent chronic lymphocytic leukemia or
follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and ME-344, a mitochondrial
inhibitor currently in an investigator-sponsored study in combination
with bevacizumab for the treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer.
For more information, please visit http://www.meipharma.com.

MEI Pharma Forward-Looking Statements

Under U.S. law, a new drug cannot be marketed until it has been
investigated in clinical studies and approved by the FDA as being
safe and effective for the intended use. Statements included in this
press release that are not historical in nature are "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should be aware
that our actual results could differ materially from those contained
in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's
current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our failure to
successfully commercialize our product candidates; costs and delays
in the development and/or FDA approval, or the failure to obtain such
approval, of our product candidates; uncertainties or differences in
interpretation in clinical trial results; our inability to maintain
or enter into, and the risks resulting from our dependence upon,
collaboration or contractual arrangements necessary for the
development, manufacture, commercialization, marketing, sales and
distribution of any products; competitive factors; our inability to
protect our patents or proprietary rights and obtain necessary rights
to third party patents and intellectual property to operate our
business; our inability to operate our business without infringing
the patents and proprietary rights of others; general economic
conditions; the failure of any products to gain market acceptance;
our inability to obtain any additional required financing;
technological changes; government regulation; changes in industry
practice; and one-time events. We do not intend to update any of
these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to
these forward-looking statements.

MEI Pharma Contacts
Investors:

Pete De Spain

Vice President, Investor Relations

(858) 792-3729

pdespain@meipharma.com
Media:

Jason Spark

Canale Communications

(619) 849-6005

jason@canalecomm.com
Helsinn Group Contact:

Paola Bonvicini

Head of Communication & Press Office

+41-91-985-21-70

info-hhc@helsinn.com

ots Originaltext: Helsinn Healthcare SA
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Original-Content von: Helsinn Healthcare SA, übermittelt durch news aktuell