Pharmion to Present Clinical Data on Key Hematology Products at American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting

Data Presentations Highlight Overall Survival Results of Vidaza(R) in

Higher-risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Thalidomide in Multiple

Myeloma

    BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pharmion Corporation
 ( PHRM) reported today that data from 36 abstracts of studies
 investigating the company's marketed and pipeline hematology products will
 be presented at the American Society of Hematology's (ASH) 49th Annual
 Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta (December 8-11, 2007). These abstracts
 include summaries of data from studies of several key products in the
 company's commercial and development portfolio for a variety of
 indications, including Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid
 leukemia (AML), multiple myeloma (MM), Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), and two
 forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).
 
     "ASH promises to be a very exciting meeting for us, with a focus on the
 detailed presentation of data from the Vidaza overall survival study, which
 demonstrate an unprecedented survival benefit compared to conventional care
 regimens, as well as other compelling study data on Vidaza, Thalidomide and
 MGCD0103," said Patrick J. Mahaffy, president and chief executive officer
 of Pharmion. "The data from 36 abstracts, including 23 posters and 13 oral
 presentations, to be presented demonstrates the progress of our pipeline
 and we are very enthusiastic about our participation this year."
 
     Studies presented at this year's ASH meeting will report the complete
 Phase 3 data set from a study demonstrating that Vidaza(R) (azacitidine for
 injection) provides a significant survival benefit beyond that provided by
 conventional care regimens for higher-risk MDS patients. Other data to be
 presented at the meeting include alternate dosing schedules of Vidaza and
 the use of Vidaza as a maintenance therapy for patients with higher-risk
 MDS and AML.
 
     Additionally, data from a study of Vidaza in combination with MGCD0103
 in MDS and AML will be presented at ASH, as will poster presentations
 featuring study results from two ongoing single-agent Phase 2 MGCD0103
 trials, one in refractory/relapsed classical HL patients and the other in
 diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, two forms of NHL.
 
     "The data on Pharmion's products being presented at ASH clearly
 demonstrate the importance of epigenetic therapy in the treatment of
 hematologic malignancies and Pharmion's leadership position in the field of
 epigenetics," said Andrew R. Allen, chief medical officer of Pharmion. "In
 particular, the data being presented confirming the clinical responses with
 Vidaza, MGCD0103 and their combination suggest a promising synergistic
 treatment approach using epigenetic therapies."
 
     Pharmion's portfolio of epigenetic therapies includes three
 developmental programs: Vidaza and oral azacitidine, both DNA demethylating
 agents; MGCD0103, a HDAC inhibitor; and sirtuin inhibitors, Pharmion's
 newest epigenetic research program. Pharmion currently markets Vidaza, the
 parenteral formulation of Azacitidine, in the U.S. and several additional
 countries for the treatment of patients with MDS, and as previously
 mentioned the full data set from the Phase 3 study of Vidaza's effect on
 overall survival in higher-risk MDS patients will be presented at the
 meeting.
 
     Data from a study evaluating the addition of Thalidomide to front-line
 melphalan/prednisone (MP) therapy in newly diagnosed elderly patients with
 multiple myeloma will be the subject of an oral presentation at ASH, where
 two oral presentations and three posters on Thalidomide studies will be
 presented.
 
     The following data will be presented during the 49th Annual ASH Meeting
 and Exposition:
 
     Vidaza(R)
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 11, 2007; 7:30-9:00 a.m., Thomas B
 Murphy Ballroom 4, Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myelodysplastic Syndromes:  Advances in Therapeutic Options
     --  Oral Session 7:30 a.m.:  Azacitidine (AZA) Treatment Prolongs Overall
         Survival (OS) in Higher-Risk MDS Patients Compared with Conventional
         Care Regimens (CCR): Results of the AZA-001 Phase III Study (Abstract
         #817).
     --  Oral Session 7:45 a.m.:  Maintenance Treatment with Azacytidine for
         Patients with High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes or Acute Myeloid
         Leukemia in Complete Remission after Intensive Chemotherapy (Abstract
         #818).
     --  Oral Session 8:00 a.m.:  Results of the Initial Treatment Phase of a
         Study of Three Alternative Dosing Schedules of Azacitidine (Vidaza) in
         Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) (Abstract #819).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 8, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.,
 Presentation 5:30 -7:30 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Therapy, Excluding Transplantation I
     --  Poster Board No. 65-I:  Report of a Phase I/II Study of 5-Azacitidine
         and Cytarabine in Patients with Relapsed, Refractory Acute Myelogenous
         Leukemia (Abstract #911).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 8, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.,
 Presentation 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myeloproliferative Syndromes:  Biological
     --  Poster Board No. 699-I:  Hypermethylation of CXCR4 Promoter, and Its
         Reactivation by Hypomethylating Agent, in CD34 + Cells from Primary
         Myelofibrosis Patients (Abstract #1545).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 8, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.,
 Presentation 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Clinical Studies, Including
 Transplantation
 
 
    --  Poster Board No. 603-I: Outcomes of MDS Patients with Chromosome 7
         Abnormalities Treated with 5-Azacytidine (Abstract #1449).
     --  Poster Board No. 605-I:  A Phase II Study of Intravenous Azacitidine
         Alone in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (Abstract #1451).
     --  Poster Board No. 606-I:  Therapy of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
         with Azacitidine Given in Combination with Etanercept: A Phase II
         Study (Abstract #1452).
     --  Poster Board No. 612-I:  Preliminary Results from a Phase I Study of
         Revlimid (Lenalidomide) in Combination with Vidaza (Azacitidine) in
         Patients with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) (Abstract
         #1458).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Therapy, Excluding Transplantation II
     --  Poster Board No. 25-II:  5-Azacytidine Augments the Cytotoxicity of
         Mylotarg toward AML Blasts In Vitro and In Vivo (Abstract # 1835).
     --  Poster Board No 39-II:  Treatment of AML with Azacytidine (AZA):
         Current Results of the French ATU Program (Abstract #1849).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis
     --  Poster Board No 638-II:  PI-PLCbeta1 Expression in Patients with
         High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Is Affected by Azacitidine
         Treatment (Abstract #2448).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Prognosis and Clinical Correlative
 Studies
 
 
    --  Poster Board No.  656-II:  FISH-Analyses of Circulating CD34+ Cells in
         MDS-Patients -- A Suitable Method to Measure and Predict Response to
         5-Azacytidine (Abstract #2466).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Disordered Epigenetic Regulation in Hematologic Malignancy
     --  Poster Board No. 312-II:  DNA Methylation Analysis of 807 Genes in
         Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (Abstract
         #2122).
     --  Poster Board No. 402-III:  Up-Regulation of miR-195 Expression Leads
         to Decreased Expression of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in CLL
         Patients Treated with DNA Methylation Inhibitors (Abstract #3183).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 1:30-3:00 p.m., Rooms
 B216-B217, Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Thalassemia: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Advances:
     --  Oral Session 1:45 p.m.:  Neither DNA Hypomethylation or Changes in the
         Kinetics of Erythroid Differentiation Account for 5-Azacytidine's
         Ability To Induce Human Fetal Hemoglobin (Abstract 572).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 1:30-3:00 p.m., Rooms
 A411-A412, Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Therapy, Excluding
 Transplantation-Novel Therapies
 
 
    -- Oral Session 2:45 p.m.:  Phase I/II Study of MGCD0103, an Oral
        Isotype-Selective Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) in Combination with
        5-Azacitidine in Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute
        Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) (Abstract #444).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; Viewing 10:30 a.m.-7:00
 p.m., Presentation 5:00-7:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Clinical Care: Transplantation Regimen Toxicities and
 Engraftment II
 
 
    --  Poster Board No. 231-III:  A Dose and Schedule Finding Study of
         Maintenance Therapy with Low-Dose 5-Azacitidine (AZA) after Allogeneic
         Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) for High-Risk AML or
         MDS (Abstract #3012).
     --  Poster Board No. 232-III:  Efficacy of Azacytidine (5-AC) Given as
         Maintenance of Salvage Therapy for Patients with Acute Leukemia Post
         Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) (Abstract #3013).
 
     MGCD0103
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  New Agents and Treatment Approaches in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
     --  Poster Board No. 756-II:  Isotype Selective HDAC Inhibitor MGCD0103
         Decreases Serum TARC Concentrations and Produces Clinical Responses in
         Heavily Pretreated Patients with Relapsed Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
         (Abstract #2566).
     --  Poster Board No. 761-II:  Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Lymphoma
         with the Oral Isotype-Selective Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor
         MGCD0103: Interim Results from a Phase II Study (Abstract #2571).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 1:30-3:00 p.m., Rooms
 A411-A412, Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Therapy, Excluding
 Transplantation-Novel Therapies
 
 
    --  Oral Session 2:45 p.m.:  Phase I/II Study of MGCD0103, an Oral
         Isotype-Selective Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) in Combination with
         5-Azacitidine in Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute
         Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) (Abstract #444).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Disordered Epigenetic Regulation in Hematologic Malignancy
     --  Poster Board No. 320-II: Analysis of Class I and II Histone
         Deacetylase Fails To Identify a Human Leukemia Specific Expression
         Profile (Abstract # 2130).
 
     Thalidomide
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; 4:30-6:00 p.m.; Rooms
 C303-C305, Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myeloma: Firstline Phase III Trials in Multiple Myeloma
     --  Oral Presentation -- 4:30 p.m.:  Velcade-Thalidomide-Dexamethasone
         (VTD) vs Thalidomide-Dexamethasone (TD) in Preparation for Autologous
         Stem-Cell Transplantation (ASCT) in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
         (Abstract #73).
     --  Oral Presentation -- 5:00 p.m.:  Melphalan-Prednisone-Thalidomide
         (MP-T) Demonstrates a Significant Survival Advantage in Elderly
         Patients .75 years with Multiple Myeloma Compared with
         Melphalan-Prednisone (MP) in a Randomized, Double-blind,
         Placebo-controlled Trial, IFM 01/01 (Abstract #75).
     --  Oral Presentation -- 5:45 p.m.:  Melphalan-Prednisone-Thalidomide to
         Newly Diagnosed Patients with Multiple Myeloma:  A Placebo Controlled
         Randomized Phase 3 Trial (Abstract #78).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 7:30-9:00 a.m.; Rooms
 C303-C305, Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myeloma: Frontline Therapy in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
     --  Oral Presentation -- 7:45 a.m.:  A Phase II Study of Velcade,
         Cyclophosphamide, Thalidomide and Dexamethasone as First-Line Therapy
         for Multiple Myeloma (Abstract #188).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 1:30-3:00 p.m.; Rooms
 C306-C308, Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Autologous Transplantation for Myeloma: Induction,
 Mobilization, and Biologic Correlates
 
 
    --  Oral Presentation -- 2:00 p.m.:  Incorporation of Thalidomide into
         Up-Front Double Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT) for
         Multiple Myeloma Improves Outcome in Comparison with Double ASCT
         without Thalidomide. Analysis of Baseline Factors Predictive of
         Outcome (Abstract #447).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; 1:30-3:00 p.m.; Rooms
 C303-C305, Georgia World Congress Center
 
     Session: Myeloma: Maintenance, Consolidation and Bone Disease in
 Multiple Myeloma
 
 
    --  Oral Presentation -- 1:45 p.m.:  Consolidation with Bortezomib,
         Thalidomide, and Dexamethasone Induces Molecular Remissions in
         Autografted Multiple Myeloma Patients (Abstract #530).
     --  Oral Presentation -- 2:15 p.m.:  Thalidomide-Dexamethasone vs
         Interferon-Dexamethasone as Maintenance Treatment after ThaDD
         induction for Multiple Myeloma:  Final Analysis of a Prospective,
         Randomized Study (Abstract #532).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 9, 2007; Viewing 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,
 Presentation 6:00-8:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myeloma: Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
     --  Poster Board No. 915-II:  Longer Duration of Thalidomide Monotherapy
         Results in Improved Outcome in Relapsed/refractory Multiple Myeloma
         (Abstract #2725).
     --  Poster Board No. 905-II:  A Phase I/II Trial on Melphalan, Prednisone,
         Thalidomide, and Defribotide Combination in Relapsed/Refractory
         Multiple Myeloma Patients (Abstract #2715).
     --  Poster Board No. 908-II:  Prolonged Progression Free Survival Does Not
         Relate to Quality of Response to Treatment with Thalidomide in
         Patients with Relapsed Multiple Myeloma (Abstract #2718).
     --  Poster Board No. 919-II:  ThaDD-V Treatment for Patients with
         Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma:  A Feasibility/Activity Study
         (Abstract #2729).
     --  Poster Board No. 924-II:  Effect of Thrombotic Events on Overall
         Survival in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Myeloma:  Analysis from a
         Randomized Phase III Trial of Thalidomide plus Dexamethasone vs
         Dexamethasone in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (E1A00) (Abstract
         #2734).
 
     Date / Time / Location: December 10, 2007; Viewing 10:30 a.m.-7:00
 p.m., Presentation 5:00-7:00 p.m., Hall B4 of Georgia World Congress Center
 
 
    Session:  Myeloma: Novel Therapies
     --  Poster Board No 812-III:  Thalidomide Combinations Improve Response
         Rates; Results from the MRC IX Study (Abstract 3593).
     About Pharmion
 
     Pharmion is a leading global oncology company uniquely focused on
 acquiring, developing and commercializing innovative products for the
 treatment of hematology and oncology patients in the U.S., Europe and
 additional international markets. Pharmion has a number of products on the
 market including the world's first approved epigenetic drug, Vidaza(R), a
 DNA demethylating agent. For additional information about Pharmion, please
 visit the company's website at http://www.pharmion.com.
 
     Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
 Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, including
 summary statements relating to the interim or preliminary results of
 clinical trials involving Vidaza, Thalidomide Pharmion, and MGCD0103. Such
 statements are based on current expectations and involve a number of known
 and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the final results to
 differ significantly from the results summarized by such statements.
 Preliminary results may not be confirmed upon final analysis of the
 detailed results of a trial and additional information relating to the
 safety, efficacy or tolerability of Pharmion's products may be discovered
 upon further analysis of clinical trial data and upon review and analysis
 of additional clinical trial data from this or other clinical trials.
 Additional risks and uncertainties relating to Pharmion and its business
 can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of Pharmion's Quarterly Report
 on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2007, its Annual
 Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and in Pharmion's
 other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
 Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are
 made, and Pharmion undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise
 any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
 future developments or otherwise. Pharmion also disclaims any duty to
 comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports
 published by the investment community.
 
 
 

SOURCE Pharmion Corporation