Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Phase 2 Results on KRX-0401 (Perifosine) in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinica...( Dr. Irene Ghobrial of the Dana-Farb...),Health

Dr. Irene Ghobrial of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute presents phase 2 results demonstrating the single agent clinical activity of perifosine in

patients with relapsed / refractory Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia

NEW YORK, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: KERX) today announced that phase 2 results of perifosine (KRX-0401) in patients with relapsed/refractory Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia (WM) was presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In a poster presentation held earlier today, Dr. Irene Ghobrial, Instructor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, MA, discussed the phase 2 results on the single agent clinical activity of perifosine in patients with both relapsed and/or refractory Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia. The presentation was entitled:

Abstract 8546: A PHASE II TRIAL OF THE NOVEL ORAL AKT INHIBITOR PERIFOSINE (KRX-0401) IN RELAPSED AND/OR REFRACTORY WALDENSTROMS MACROGLOBULINEMIA (WM).

Thirty-seven patients (median age 65 yrs) with advanced WM (76% had at least two prior treatments) were enrolled, with most patients (>75%) previously treated with at least one course of therapy on rituximab. All patients were scheduled to receive 150 mg of perifosine daily in a 28 day cycle for at least 6 cycles. Toxicities were generally well managed and tolerated with Grade 1 & 2 GI related toxicities occurring in 30% of the patients. Thirty-six patients were evaluable for response, assessed by criteria established at the second consensus panel for WM, with results as follows:

Response N Median Duration of Therapy(wks)

Partial Response 2(5%)
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