XTL Biopharmaceuticals Retains Expert Consultants in Rheumatology for Phase II Lupus Trial

HERZLIYA, Israel, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: XTLB, TASE: XTL) ("XTL" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of unmet clinical needs, today announced the appointment of Daniel J. Wallace, MD and Murray Urowitz, MD, two experts in rheumatology, as consultants for the planned Phase II trial for the Company's hCDR1 compound for the treatment of Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – SLE) patients.

"Dr. Wallace and Dr. Urowitz are at the forefront of searching for viable treatment options for Lupus patients, and are respected, well known industry experts," said Josh Levine, CEO of XTL. "We are excited to welcome these clinicians aboard the XTL team, gaining access to their experience as it relates to trial design, dosing and other aspects of the drug development process for our Phase IIb Lupus trial. We believe that their involvement will be of great value to XTL throughout the entire trial process."   

Dr. Daniel Wallace has over 35 years of rheumatology expertise. His clinical practice based at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles treats nearly two thousand lupus patients annually and is currently running over thirty clinical trials related to skin disorders, making it the largest practice of its kind in the United States. Dr. Wallace's academic efforts include serving as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and previously holding positions of Chief of Rheumatology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Century City Hospital, and the City of Hope Medical Center. His volunteer work has entailed serving as Chairman of the Lupus Foundation of America amongst other notable organizations.

Dr. Wallace has written eight medical textbooks, 25 book chapters, and over 340 journal articles in the industry's leading publications. He is highly recognized in his field, receiving the Lupus Foundation of America Award, Achievement Award of the Lupus Research Institute. Dr. Wallace received his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Southern California.

"I am privileged to join the team at XTL to help advance what I believe to be one of the most promising Lupus drug candidates in recent history," stated Dr. Daniel Wallace. "The data shown in earlier trials is encouraging and could potentially be a disruptive solution to a largely unmet medical need.  Current solutions such as Benlysta or the use of steroids offer limited benefit to patients and/or have safety concerns over the long-term."

Dr. Murray Urowitz established the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic and Lupus Databank Research Program in 1970. This extensive database is one of the largest databanks in the world with over 1,800 patients, which has supported findings that have changed the way Lupus is diagnosed and treated. Dr. Urowitz has supervised the training of over 100 fellows in rheumatology, especially in SLE. Dr. Urowitz is currently Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Director of the Centre for Prognosis Studies in the Rheumatic Disease and the University of Toronto and the Lupus Clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital.

He has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and 40 book chapters. Dr. Urowitz received his doctorate from the University of Toronto.

"SLE is a significant disease to overcome as there has only been one adequate treatment option approved by the FDA to address this debilitating disease in the last 50 years," said Dr. Murray Urowitz. "The continued development of XTL's hCDR1 has the medical community eagerly waiting to learn the efficacy of the drug in its planned Phase II trial."

About Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease involving many systems in the human body, including joints, kidneys, central nervous system, heart, hematological system and others. The biologic basis of the disease is a defect in the immune (defense) system, leading to production of self (auto) antibodies, attacking the normal organs and causing irreversible damage. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, at least 1.5 million Americans have the disease (more than 5 million worldwide) with more than 16,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  The majority of patients are women of childbearing years.

About XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. ("XTL")
XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of unmet clinical needs. XTL is focused on late stage clinical development of drugs for the treatment of lupus, multiple myeloma and schizophrenia.

XTL is a public company traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (NASDAQ: XTLB) and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: XTL). XTL shares are included in the following indices: Tel-Aviv Biomed, Tel-Aviv MidCap, and Tel-Aviv Bluetech-50.

Cautionary Statement
Some of the statements included in this press release may be forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Investor Contacts:
Jeffrey Goldberger / Garth Russell
KCSA Strategic Communications
Phone: 212-896-1249 / 212-896-1250
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]   

SOURCE XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.