EntreMed Announces FDA Acceptance of IND Application for Panzem(R) in Rheumatoid...( ROCKVILLE Md. Dec. 11 /- EntreMed...),Health

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EntreMed, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENMD), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Panzem(R) (2-Methoxyestradiol or 2ME2) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010620/ENMDLOGO )

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a proliferating synovium (joint lining), aberrant angiogenesis, and progressive joint damage. Panzem(R) is a small molecule metabolite of 17beta-estradiol which, in its purified form, has antiproliferative, apoptotic, and antiangiogenic activity. These properties make it of particular interest in various diseases characterized by abnormal cellular proliferation and angiogenesis.

In three distinct preclinical treatment models, oral administration of Panzem(R) demonstrated antiarthritic activity when treatment was initiated following disease progression. In these therapeutic intervention models, arthritic activity was attenuated and joint damage arrested as assessed by histology or radiography. When Panzem(R) was administered early following disease initiation, there was a dose-dependent inhibition of arthritic activity (measuring evident edema and inflammation) and, in one model, a delay in the onset of disease. Furthermore, using an early intervention model, Panzem(R) combined well with methotrexate, a current standard of care RA treatment, resulting in additive antiarthritic activity. The results of these stu
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