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[STK] NASDAQ-NMS:EPZM
[IN] HEA MTC PHA
[SU] TRI
TO HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Epizyme Announces Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application
Covering Methods of Treatment for Cancers with EZH2 Inhibitors
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Epizyme,
Inc. (NASDAQ: EPZM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company
creating innovative personalized therapeutics for patients with
genetically defined cancers, announced today that the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office has granted a notice of allowance for U.S. Patent
Application No. 13/722,807 with claims that cover methods of treating
cancer with EZH2 inhibitors. The patent, entitled "Aryl-or
Heteroaryl-Substituted Benzene Compounds," will expire in
2033.
"We continue to build and strengthen our intellectual property
position, an important element of our overall product strategy," said
Zoran Zdraveski Ph.D., J.D., Chief Patent Counsel, Epizyme. "When
issued, this patent will cover claims directed to methods of treating
cancer, including non-Hodgkin, follicular and diffuse large B-cell
lymphomas, with small molecule EZH2 inhibitors including EPZ-6438."
Epizyme's small molecule inhibitor of EZH2, EPZ-6438 (E7438), is
currently being developed in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients
with advanced solid tumors or relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma.
In 2014, Epizyme plans to initiate two proof of concept studies with
EPZ-6438, pending Phase 1 completion, one in non-Hodgkin lymphoma
patients with EZH2 point mutations and one in synovial sarcoma
patients. EPZ-6438 is being developed in collaboration with Eisai Inc.
About EZH2 Cancers EZH2 is a histone methyltransferase (HMT) that can
become oncogenic due to genetic alterations and cause non-Hodgkin
lymphoma and solid tumors. Oncogenic EZH2 mutations are associated
with two types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
of germinal-center origin, or DLBCL, and follicular lymphoma, or FL.
Currently, there are no therapies approved specifically for the
treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with an EZH2 point
mutation.
About EPZ-6438 Epizyme and its partner Eisai are developing EPZ-6438,
a small molecule inhibitor of EZH2 created with our proprietary
product platform, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients
who have an oncogenic (cancer-causing) point mutation in EZH2. In many
human cancers, misregulated EZH2 enzyme activity results in
misregulation of genes that control cell proliferation - without these
control mechanisms, cancer cells are free to grow rapidly.
Epizyme granted Eisai a worldwide license to EPZ-6438 (Eisai refers to
this therapeutic candidate as E7438), subject to Epizyme's right to
opt in for co-development, co-commercialization and profit share
arrangement with Eisai in the United States. Epizyme is working with
Roche and Eisai to develop a companion diagnostic to identify patients
with non-wild type EZH2, where EZH2 contains point mutations.
Additional information about these partnerships may be found here:
http://www.epizyme.com/about-us/partnerships/
In June 2013, Epizyme and its partner Eisai initiated a Phase 1/2
clinical trial of EPZ-6438 in patients with advanced solid tumors or
with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma. This program is currently
in the dose escalation phase. The company believes EPZ-6438 is the
second HMTi to enter human clinical development (following Epizyme's
DOT1L inhibitor, EPZ-5676). Additional information about this program,
including clinical trial information, may be found here:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01897571?term=7438&rank=1
About Epizyme, Inc. Epizyme, Inc. is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company creating personalized therapeutics for
patients with genetically defined cancers. Epizyme has built a
proprietary product platform that the company uses to create small
molecule inhibitors of a 96-member class of enzymes known as histone
methyltransferases, or HMTs. HMTs are part of the system of gene
regulation, referred to as epigenetics, that controls gene expression.
Genetic alterations can result in changes to the activity of HMTs,
making them oncogenic (cancer-causing). By focusing on the genetic
drivers of cancers, Epizyme's targeted science seeks to match the
right medicines with the right patients for a personalized approach to
cancer treatment.
For more information, visit www.epizyme.com and connect with us on
Twitter at @EpizymeRx.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements Any statements in this
press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the
Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future
operations, development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, and
future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other
statements containing the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "target,"
"potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue," and
similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors,
including: whether the patents and patent applications owned or
licensed by the Company, such as the patent referred to in this
release, will protect the Company's technology and prevent others from
infringing it, the uncertainties inherent in the initiation of future
clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials,
availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials,
expectations for regulatory approvals, development progress of the
Company's companion diagnostics, availability of funding sufficient
for the Company's foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and
capital expenditure requirements, other matters that could affect the
availability or commercial potential of the Company's therapeutic
candidates or companion diagnostics, and other factors discussed in
the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28,
2014. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this
press release represent the Company's views as of the date hereof. The
Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause
the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to
update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future,
the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing
the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.
SOURCE Epizyme, Inc.
-0- 04/24/2014
/CONTACT: Media/Investors: Jeff Boyle, Epizyme, Inc., 617.674.1778, jboyle@epizyme.com; Media: Luke Dickinson, Spectrum, 202.955.6222 ext. 2503, ldickinson@spectrumscience.com; Investors: Stephanie Ascher, Stern Investor Relations, 212.362.1200, stephanie@sternir.com
/Web Site: http://www.epizyme.com
(NASDAQ-NMS:EPZM) /
CO: Epizyme, Inc.
ST: Massachusetts
IN: HEA MTC PHA
SU: TRI
PRN
-- DC11065 --
0000 04/24/2014 12:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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