Micromet's Blinatumomab Induces Durable Remissions in Patients with Relapsed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

BETHESDA, Md., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (Nasdaq: MITI) today announced the presentation of updated results from a Phase 1 trial of the Company's lead product candidate blinatumomab (MT103) in patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).  A high objective response rate was maintained among patients treated with blinatumomab using an adapted schedule, comparable to that previously reported in patients receiving constant dosing.  Blinatumomab is the first in a new class of agents called BiTE® antibodies, designed to harness the body's T cells to kill cancer cells.

The findings were presented on June 12, 2010 in an oral presentation (abstract # 0559) at the 15th Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Barcelona, Spain.

"Blinatumomab continues to demonstrate a long duration of response in heavily pre-treated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients," said Professor Ralph Bargou, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Wuerzburg University Hospital, and the study's principal investigator. "Results of the expanded Phase 1 experience suggest that blinatumomab has the potential to alter the clinical course of disease in patients with a variety of NHL sub-types."

Phase 1 Study Design

This multi-center Phase 1 study evaluates the safety and tolerability of blinatumomab in adult patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).  The key objectives of the study are to assess safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and anti-lymphoma activity.  Patient response is assessed using the Cheson criteria by independent radiologic review.

Patients initially received blinatumomab at dose levels ranging from 0.5 to 90 micrograms per meter squared per day over a four or eight week cycle.   Based on findings in the ongoing study, a new dosing schedule was designed to mitigate the occurrence of neurological adverse events observed at the onset of treatment.  Recently enrolled patients received a "step-dose approach" including a lower starting dose (5 or 15 micrograms per meter squared per day) of blinatumomab for one week, with subsequent escalation up to the target dose of 60 micrograms per meter squared per day.

Updated Phase 1 Results

The analysis presented at EHA included 52 patients, mainly with diagnoses of follicular lymphoma (FL) (42%) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) (42%).  The majority of enrolled patients received three or more prior lines of chemotherapy.   Of eight evaluable FL and MCL patients treated with constant dosing at a dose level of 60 micrograms per meter squared per day, 100% (8 of 8) achieved an objective response.   The median response duration is 21 months. Three patients currently have ongoing responses ranging from 24 up to 30 months.  

Among patients treated using constant dosing, the most common clinical adverse events were pyrexia, headache and fatigue.  The most common adverse events were early, transient, fully reversible and did not require discontinuation of treatment. The clinically most relevant cause of treatment discontinuation was neurologic events.  These were observed in a sub-group of patients with an identified prognostic factor.  All events resolved without sequelae following treatment discontinuation.

Data presented on six patients with an identified risk factor for neurologic events who were treated with blinatumomab using a "step-dose approach" indicates that the new treatment schedule appears to mitigate neurological events and maintain clinical activity. There was no occurrence of grade 3 or higher neurological events and five objective responses were achieved among the six patients treated.

"Our goal is to safely and effectively treat indolent and mantle cell lymphomas using a uniform treatment schedule irrespective of patient characteristics," said Jan Fagerberg, M.D., Ph.D., Micromet's SVP, Chief Medical Officer.  "We look forward to continuing to advance enrollment in the on-going study using the adapted treatment schedule and broadening the eligible patient population to include other non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subtypes."

Conference Call and Webcast

Micromet management will host a conference call on Tuesday, June 15 at 8:30 AM EDT to review the data presented at EHA. To participate in the conference call, please dial 866-770-7120 (domestic) or 617-213-8065 (international) and reference the access code 28465583. The presentation will be available via webcast at:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=197259&eventID=3135083

A replay of the call will be available from 11:30 AM ET on June 15, 2010 until midnight on June 22, 2010. To access the replay, please dial 888-286-8010 (domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international) and reference the access code 87529369. The archived webcast will be available for 30 days in the Investor Relations section of the Micromet website at www.micromet-inc.com.

About Blinatumomab

Blinatumomab (MT103) is a novel, next-generation monoclonal antibody designed to direct the body's cell destroying T-cells against CD19, a protein expressed on the surface of B-cell derived acute lymphoblastic leukemias and non Hodgkin's lymphomas. Micromet received orphan drug designation from the European Medicines Agency for blinatumomab for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphatic leukemia and from the Food and Drug Association for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, indolent B cell lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia and prolymphocytic leukemia.

About Micromet, Inc.

Micromet, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer. Its product development pipeline includes novel antibodies generated with its proprietary BiTE® technology, as well as conventional monoclonal antibodies. Two of Micromet's BiTE antibodies and three of its conventional antibodies are currently in clinical trials. Micromet has collaborations with a number of leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including sanofi-aventis, Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, Boehringer Ingelheim, MedImmune and Nycomed. Additional information can be found at www.micromet-inc.com

Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Any statements contained herein which do not describe historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the development of blinatumomab and its use in the treatment of cancer. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "ongoing," "may," "will," "believes," "potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include the risk that our preclinical data is not confirmed in clinical trials with our product candidates. This factor and others are more fully discussed in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.  We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.  We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Micromet, Inc.