Phase III Trial of VELCADE(R) (Bortezomib) for Injection Showed Dramatic Fourfold Increase in Complete Remission Rates When Combined With the Most Commonly Used U.S. Regimen in Front-Line Multip...( - VELCADE thalidomide and ...),Health

- VELCADE, thalidomide and dexamethasone improved pre - and post-stem cell transplantation results compared to thalidomide and

dexamethasone -

ATLANTA, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MLNM) reported the presentation of results from an interim analysis of the first 256 patients evaluated in a multi-center, randomized Phase III clinical trial. This study compared VELCADE, thalidomide and dexamethasone (VcTD) to thalidomide and dexamethasone (TD) alone, currently the most commonly used U.S. regimen for patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma (MM). The trial was conducted by the Italian Myeloma Network (GIMEMA) cooperative group and selected for an oral presentation at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 49th Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., December 8- 11, 2007.

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"This VELCADE based induction regimen achieved a fourfold increase in the complete remission rate. Complete remission is widely recognized as a predictor for long-term survival," said Professor Michele Cavo, M.D., Seragnoli Institute of Hematology, University of Bologna and Principal Investigator of the trial. "These exciting results demonstrated that adding VELCADE to the standard induction therapy prior to stem cell transplantation improves the response rate dramatically."
Results from the large clinical trial were presented by Professor Cavo:

-- As induction therapy prior to stem cell transplantation (SCT), the VcTD

arm demonstrated a complete remission (CR, including immu
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