Contact Information: Company Contact: Delcath Systems, Inc. Richard Taney (212) 489-2100 Investor Relations Contact: Strategic Growth International, Inc. Richard E. Cooper/Cass Almendral (212) 838-1444 Public Relations Contact: Rubenstein Associates, Inc. Robin Wagge (212) 843-8006
Delcath Cancer Trials Welcome New Principal Investigator From NCI
Dr. James F. Pingpank Joins the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
| Source: Delcath Systems, Inc.
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - September 2, 2008) - Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ : DCTH ) announced
today that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has named Dr. Marybeth S.
Hughes, MD as the Principal Investigator for the current Phase III and
Phase II clinical trials of the Company's Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion
(PHP) System. These trials are being conducted under a Cooperative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the NCI and Delcath.
This announcement comes as Dr. James F. Pingpank, Jr., who was Principal
Investigator of the trials while at NCI, has assumed the position of
associate professor in the division of surgical oncology at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Pingpank has been named extramural
Adjunct Principal Investigator for the ongoing trials at the NCI.
Dr. Marybeth Hughes, who has been Co-Investigator on these studies since
2004, will provide continued experience and leadership to the trials as the
Phase III study treating metastatic melanoma in the liver continues to
accelerate with the recent announcements that eight additional treatment
centers have joined the trial.
The NCI continues to serve as the lead center for the multi-center Phase
III trial and Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, Head, NCI Tumor Immunology
Section and Chief, NCI Surgery Branch will continue in his role as
Principal Investigator for all aspects of research under the Cooperative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NCI and the Company.
On his recent move to UPMC, Dr. Pingpank stated, "UPMC is a recognized
leader in the area of regional cancer therapies. I am delighted to join the
team at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and I look forward to
continue working closely with Dr. Hughes, Dr. Rosenberg and NCI on these
studies."
On these announcements, Richard L. Taney, President and CEO of Delcath,
stated, "We are excited about these recent developments, and the
continuation of our close working relationship with NCI and Dr. Hughes in
her expanded role as Principal Investigator on the study. The NCI's
commitment to the Delcath technology remains instrumental in identifying
clinical and technological improvements to the PHP system and in training
new physicians in the administration of PHP. We are also pleased to
continue our relationship with Dr. Pingpank and look forward to working
with him at UPMC towards completion of the Phase III trial and a variety of
projects to expand the reach of Delcath's technology and establish PHP as a
first-line treatment for liver cancers."
About Delcath Systems, Inc.
Delcath Systems, Inc. is a medical technology company specializing in
cancer treatment. The Company has developed a proprietary, patented system
which will improve the efficacy of cancer treatment while reducing the
considerable, systemic side-effects of chemotherapy. Delcath's novel drug
delivery platform is capable of delivering anti-cancer drugs at very high
doses to a specific organ or region of the body while preventing these high
doses of drug from entering the patient's bloodstream. The Company is
currently enrolling patients in Phase III and Phase II clinical studies for
the treatment of liver cancers using high doses of melphalan. The
Company's intellectual property portfolio consists of twenty-eight patents
on a worldwide basis including the U.S., Europe, Asia and Canada. For more
information, please visit the Company's website at www.delcath.com.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor
for forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. This
news release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ
materially from those described. Factors that may cause such differences
include, but are not limited to, uncertainties relating to our ability to
successfully complete Phase III clinical trials and secure regulatory
approval of our current or future drug-delivery system and uncertainties
regarding our ability to obtain financial and other resources for any
research, development and commercialization activities. These factors, and
others, are discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise these
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the
date they are made.