AEterna Zentaris Reports First Patients Treated with Anti-Cancer Compound AEZS-108 in Phase 2 Trial in Ovarian and Endometri...( QUEBEC CITY Feb. 12 / AEterna Zen...)

QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - AEterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS; TSX: AEZ), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, today reported that dosing of AEZS-108, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist linked to doxorubicin, has commenced in its Phase 2 trial in gynaecological cancers for which patient enrolment had begun in December 2007. This open-label, non-comparative multi-center Phase 2 trial will treat up to 82 women with LHRH-receptor positive ovarian and endometrial cancerous tumors. The primary endpoint for the trial will be the partial or complete tumor response rate according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and/or Gynaecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG) guidelines. The trial is being conducted in 15 centers in Europe under the supervision of lead investigator, Prof. Gunter Emons, M.D., of the Georg-August-University, Gottingen Institute of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Gottingen, Germany.

David J. Mazzo, Ph.D., President and CEO of AEterna Zentaris commented, "We are excited to have started dosing patients in our Phase 2 trial with AEZS-108, our highest priority oncology compound. We believe that our approach targeting only patients with LHRH-receptor expressing tumors using doxorubicin is key to both potential increased individual patient safety and potential augmented clinical benefit, while ultimately providing us results that will be pivotal in formulating the next steps in the clinical development of this novel agent."

About the Phase 2 trial

Entitled, "The antitumoral activity and safety of AEZS-108 (AN-152), a LHRH agonist linked doxorubicin in women with LHRH-receptor positive gynaecological tumors", this Europe
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