( - 100 percent of patients treated with ...)Velcade (Bortezomib) for Injection Based Therapies Produced,Complete Remission Rates as High as 54 Percent in Patients With,Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma,Health

KOS, Greece, June 28, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported on the presentation of results from clinical trials of VELCADE based therapies that showed high complete remission / complete response(1) (CR) rates in previously treated multiple myeloma (MM) patients. These findings were presented at the prestigious 11th International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) in Kos, Greece. Highlights included:

    


    -- VELCADE, cyclophosphamide and prednisone (VCP) demonstrated an overall

       response rate (ORR) of 93 percent including a CR(1) rate of 54 percent.

       At one year, 100 percent of patients were alive.

    -- VELCADE, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRD) showed an ORR of 68

       percent with a 5 percent CR(1) rate in a pilot study of heavily

       pretreated patients, including those who had been previously treated

       with VELCADE or lenalidomide.

"By combining the power of VELCADE with other active agents, we are seeing some of the strongest reported efficacy in previously treated multiple myeloma patients," said Nancy Simonian, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Millennium. "The wealth of combination data that are being generated promises to strengthen the U.S. market-leading role of VELCADE."

Weekly VELCADE, Cyclophosphamide and Prednisone in Myeloma (Abstract #PO- 639)

"VELCADE has shown synergistic activity with alkylating agents by generating substantially high and durable complete remission rates," said Donna Reece, M.D., Princess Margaret Hospital. "This is an important finding for the field of multiple myeloma and leads us to believe that the combination of VELCADE and cyclophosphamide warrants further investigation in the front-line setting with the goal of prolonging patients' survival."

The Phase II study was d
'"/>