Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS, TSX: AEZ) (the “Company”) today
announced that, effective as of June 1, 2016, it has acquired the
exclusive right to promote APIFINY®, the only cancer
specific, non-PSA blood test to assess the risk for the presence of
prostate cancer, throughout the entire United States pursuant to a new
co-marketing agreement with Armune BioScience, Inc.
Under the expanded co-marketing agreement, the Company will promote
APIFINY® to medical professionals in the United States and
will receive a commission for each test performed. Jude Dinges, Senior
Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Aeterna Zentaris,
commented, “We are very pleased that Armune recognized the value of our
promotional services by awarding us the exclusive right to promote the
product to all medical professionals in the United States. This is a
significant opportunity for us.”
“We are very excited to be expanding our partnership with Aeterna
Zentaris,” commented David A. Esposito, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Armune BioScience. “The experience and expertise of the
commercial team at Aeterna Zentaris will be extremely helpful to Armune
as we accelerate the growth of APIFINY® and develop our
autoantibody technology across major areas of unmet need in cancer. In
less than one year on the market, APIFINY® has been ordered
over 5,000 times as clinicians move beyond PSA-based testing to further
assess the risk for the presence of prostate cancer. We look forward to
Aeterna Zentaris helping us to achieve the full potential of this
opportunity.”
About Prostate Cancer
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in
American men. The American Cancer Society predicted that 220,800 new
cases of prostate cancer in the United States would occur in 2015, that
there would be 27,540 prostate cancer deaths during the year and that
one man in seven would be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his
lifetime. Approximately 60% of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men aged
65 or older, and it is rare before age 40. Prostate cancer is the second
leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer.
Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with
prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.9 million men
in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at
some point are still alive today.
About APIFINY®
APIFINY® is the only cancer-specific, non-PSA blood test that
may aid clinicians in the assessment of risk for the presence of
prostate cancer. APIFINY® technology measures specific
biological markers known to be associated with the immune system’s
response to prostate cancer and is based on the measurement of eight
prostate-cancer-specific autoantibodies in human serum. These
autoantibodies are produced and amplified by the immune system in
response to the presence of prostate cancer cells. The autoantibodies
are stable and, because of their amplification, are likely to be
abundant and easy to detect, especially with small tumors characteristic
of early-stage cancers. The autoantibody markers span a range of
biological functions integral to prostate cancer progression. APIFINY®
is offered as a lab developed test by Armune BioScience in its CLIA
regulated laboratory located in Ann Arbor, MI.
About Armune BioScience
Armune is a medical diagnostics company that develops and commercializes
unique proprietary technology exclusively licensed from the University
of Michigan for diagnostic and prognostic tests for cancer. The Armune
BioScience Laboratory is a commercial reference laboratory, certified
and regulated by the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
(CLIA) law established in 1988. The laboratory’s CLIA Certificate
permits it to perform APIFINY® and other high-complexity
medical tests. Armune, a private company, has a corporate headquarters
in Kalamazoo, MI and a research and commercial laboratory in Ann Arbor,
MI. For more information, visit www.armune.com.
About Aeterna Zentaris Inc.
Aeterna Zentaris is a specialty biopharmaceutical company engaged in
developing and commercializing novel treatments in oncology,
endocrinology and women’s health. We are engaged in drug development
activities and in the promotion of products for others. We are now
conducting Phase 3 studies of two internally developed compounds. The
focus of our business development efforts is the acquisition or license
of products that are relevant to our therapeutic areas of focus. We also
intend to license out certain commercial rights of internally developed
products to licensees in territories where such out-licensing would
enable us to ensure development, registration and launch of our product
candidates. Our goal is to become a growth-oriented specialty
biopharmaceutical company by pursuing successful development and
commercialization of our product portfolio, achieving successful
commercial presence and growth, while consistently delivering value to
our shareholders, employees and the medical providers and patients who
will benefit from our products. For more information, visit www.aezsinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the US Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to
statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words
“expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” and similar terms that
relate to future events, performance, or our results. Forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could
cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue R&D
projects and clinical trials, the successful and timely completion of
clinical studies, the risk that safety and efficacy data from any of our
Phase 3 trials may not coincide with the data analyses from previously
reported Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 clinical trials, the rejection or
non-acceptance of any new drug application by one or more regulatory
authorities and, more generally, uncertainties related to the regulatory
process, the ability of the Company to efficiently commercialize one or
more of its products or product candidates, the degree of market
acceptance once our products are approved for commercialization, the
ability of the Company to take advantage of business opportunities in
the pharmaceutical industry, the ability to protect our intellectual
property, the potential of liability arising from shareholder lawsuits
and general changes in economic conditions. Investors should consult the
Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and US
securities commissions for additional information on risks and
uncertainties relating to forward-looking statements. Investors are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. The Company does not undertake to update these
forward-looking statements. We disclaim any obligation to update any
such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any
of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future
results, events or developments, except if required to do so.
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