Health & Fitness
Health and Fitness
Health and Fitness
Wed, February 11, 2009
Professor John F. Thompson to Present at the Sixth International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies on Marc
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC BB: PVCT), a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, announced today that Professor John F. Thompson, MD, the global Lead Investigator for its Phase 2 melanoma study, will present clinical data on PV-10 at the Sixth International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies on March 13, 2009, in New York City.
Professor Thompson will be presenting this data at a Satellite Symposium entitled "Investigating Local Control Strategies: The Case for Intralesional Therapy-Emerging Approaches to Intralesional Therapy." Professor Peter Hersey, Research Director of the Newcastle Melanoma Unit and Consultant Immunologist to the Sydney Melanoma Unit, will moderate the session. Dr. Sanjiv Agarwala, Lead Investigator from the PV-10 trial's site at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, PA, and program director for the conference, will also participate in the program.
"Professor Thompson is expected to provide an update on our development efforts with PV-10 for metastatic melanoma, including an update on Phase 1 survival data, interim data from the current Phase 2 study, in particular safety and efficacy data and the ‘bystander effect.' Phase 2 efficacy data appears to be as good as or better than our Phase 1 efficacy data," noted Dr. Craig Dees, PhD, CEO of Provectus.
The "bystander effect" is an immune-mediated process whereby PV-10 treatment of melanoma can lead to regression of uninjected melanoma tumors.
Dr. Dees continued, "There is a critical need for new treatment approaches for metastatic melanoma, a deadly disease for which there are few acceptable therapies. As we wrap up enrollment of the second half of the eighty subject Phase 2 metastatic melanoma study, we look forward to continuing communication on our progress in the months ahead."
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2008 there were approximately 62,000 new cases of melanoma in the U.S., leading to more than 8,000 deaths. Further, the World Health Organization has projected that 48,000 patients globally will have died from melanoma in 2008.
AboutTheSixth International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies
The Sixth International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies, an Oncology CME-Certified Symposium, will focus on therapeutic benefit from several novel agents that target key cellular systems involved in the progression of melanoma or other cutaneous diseases such as CTCL, including growth factor signaling pathways, DNA repair and apoptotic mechanisms, and CTLA-4 receptors. This interactive symposium will also emphasize issues concerning surgical management, adjuvant therapy, advanced disease therapy, and personalizing the course of treatment for individual patients. Physicians will also learn about clinical trials of novel therapeutic regimens in the adjuvant and advanced disease settings currently recruiting patients with melanoma and other cutaneous malignancies. In addition, the Intralesional Therapy for Melanoma: Two Steps Forward and One Step Back? Satellite Symposium, which includes the discussion on "Investigating Local Control Strategies: The Case for Intralesional Therapy-Emerging Approaches to Intralesional Therapy" will focus on intralesional therapy as a strategy for both local and potentially systemic control of melanoma. A variety of agents that are being developed to address this continuing medical need, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy options, will be discussed.
About Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ([ www.pvct.com ])
Provectus Pharmaceuticals is a development stage company that specializes in oncology and dermatology therapies that are safer, more effective, less invasive and more economical than conventional therapies. Provectus is currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of its proprietary drugs PV-10 as a therapy for metastatic melanoma and PH-10 as a topical treatment for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Information about these and the Company's other clinical trials can be found at the NIH registry, [ www.clinicaltrials.gov ]. The Company has received orphan drug designation from the FDA for its melanoma indication. Complementing their suite of proprietary drugs, Provectus has developed a number of intellectual properties and technologies in the areas of imaging, medical devices and biotechnology. For additional information about Provectus please visit the Company's website at [ www.pvct.com ] or contact Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date thereof.
