Alexion Secures U.S. Patent for ALXN6000, a First-In-Class Anti-CD200 Monoclona...( Patient Recruitment Continues for ...),Health

Patient Recruitment Continues for Clinical Trial of ALXN6000 in Cancer

CHESHIRE, Conn., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent Number 7,408,041 titled, "Polypeptides and Antibodies Derived from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells and Uses Thereof." The patent is assigned to Alexion and includes claims that encompass the composition-of-matter of Alexion's anti-CD200 humanized monoclonal antibody, which is known by its working name, ALXN6000.

"Alexion continues to be focused on developing first-in-class therapeutics for patients who have severe and life-threatening medical conditions, and few, if any, treatment options," said Leonard Bell, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alexion. "We are committed to fully investigate the therapeutic potential of ALXN6000 as a drug therapy for patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and other hematologic and solid-tumor cancers."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") recently authorized Alexion's Investigational New Drug application ("IND") for a clinical trial of ALXN6000 as a treatment for patients with refractory or relapsing B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia ("CLL"). As previously announced, dosing in an open-label Phase I/II trial has commenced. Recruitment and dosing of patients in the trial is expected to continue through 2009. More information is available at the http://www.clinicaltrials.gov website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

About ALXN6000

The CD200 molecule is overexpressed in certain tumor cells and may inhibit the body's immune response to that
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