Access Pharmaceuticals Reports Additional MuGard Study Findings Presented at EMCC 2011 in Stockholm

DALLAS and NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: ACCP), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, cancer supportive care and diabetes, announced the findings of an independent presentation on MuGard clinical experience at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress held in Stockholm, Sweden. The ongoing research study was conducted by the Oncology and Maxillofacial Departments of the Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, United Kingdom.  In the study, 20 head and neck cancer patients were prospectively assessed for MuGard efficacy and tolerability, and compared to a historical comparison group of head and neck cancer patients. The highlights of the results, discussion and conclusions of the study included:

• MuGard was effective in prevention, delay and management of radiotherapy (RT) and chemo-radiotherapy (C-RT) induced oral mucositis, as well as reducing the need for opiate pain medicine and gastrostomy (feeding tube) use.
• Patients using MuGard noted a reduction of the severity of both clinically assessed and patient perceived symptoms of oral mucositis, resulting in RTOG scoring (the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group assessment score) falling to half of expected value.
• Marked reduction in pain experience during and following treatment, required milder pain medication for shorter periods of time, which has a positive impact on cost and other patient side effects such as drowsiness and constipation.
• MuGard use allowed patients to maintain oral nutrition and hydration for longer than usually seen, with a significant reduction in the use of supplements and gastrostomy feeding tubes.  
• It was noted that patients using MuGard returned more quickly to a full and normal oral diet.
• MuGard was generally well tolerated, and clinicians were supportive of MuGard use based on the clearly evident benefits to the patient seen in the study.

"The findings in this study are both very encouraging, and consistent with the feedback from clinicians and patients in the field pertaining to the effectiveness of MuGard in treating the very debilitating side effect of oral mucositis," said Jeffrey B. Davis, CEO of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  He continued, "In addition to the specific clinical benefits mentioned in the study, we are encouraged at the related pharmoeconomic discussion of how MuGard can help to decrease healthcare costs through the reduction in the use of pain meds, reduction in the use of feeding tubes, and by providing for certain quality of life improvements that have both a significant clinical as well as pharmoeconomic benefit."

About European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress:

The 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress is the combination of the 16th congress of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), the 36th congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the 30th congress of European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO).  

About Access:

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes proprietary products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients. Access' products include MuGard™ (www.MuGard.com), which has received FDA marketing clearance for the management of patients with mucositis, ProLindac™, a second generation DACH Platinum in Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian cancer, and Thiarabine™, a novel nucleoside analog that has demonstrated both pre-clinical and clinical activity in certain cancers; currently in a Phase 1/2a trial in hematological malignancies at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  

The company also has other advanced drug delivery technologies including CobaCyte™-mediated targeted delivery and CobOral-oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism.  For additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our website at www.accesspharma.com.

This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include those relating to: our cash burn rate, clinical trial plans and timelines and clinical results for ProLindac, MuGard, Thiarabine and Cobalamin and other product candidates, our ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and our ability to successfully develop marketed products. These statements are subject to numerous risks, including but not limited to Access' need to obtain additional financing in order to continue the clinical trial and operations and to the risks detailed in Access' Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by Access with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.