Actinium Announces Appointment Of Hematology Expert Dr. Richard Stone Of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute To Its Scientific Advisory Board

  • Dr. Stone is a world renowned physician with extensive research and clinical experience focused on refractory leukemia patients and advanced myeloproliferative disorders

  • Actinium’s Scientific Advisory Board contributes to the development of Iomab-B, Actinium’s Phase 3 drug candidate intended to facilitate bone marrow transplants

NEW YORK, May 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT:ATNM) ("Actinium" or "the Company"), a biopharmaceutical Company developing innovative targeted payload immunotherapeutics for the treatment of advanced cancers, announced today that Dr. Richard Stone, Chief of Staff and Program Director, Acute Leukemia at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School has joined the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Actinium’s SAB is comprised of independent physicians considered to be key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the field of hematology and bone marrow transplant that contribute to and advise Actinium on the development of Iomab-B. Iomab-B is Actinium’s lead asset that is in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial that, upon approval, is intended to be an induction and conditioning agent prior to a bone marrow transplant for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are over the age of 55. The pivotal Phase 3 Iomab-B SIERRA clinical trial is currently enrolling patients at many of the leading bone marrow transplant centers in the U.S.

“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Stone to Actinium’s scientific advisory board,” said Dr. Mark Berger, Actinium’s Chief Medical Officer. “Dr. Stone is a world renowned expert in adult leukemias and myeloproliferative disorders who is at the forefront of research and patient care. I have greatly respected Dr. Stone throughout my medical and drug development career and look forward to working with him at Actinium as we work to gain approval for Iomab-B for patients who lack effective methods of obtaining a potentially curative bone marrow transplant.”

Dr. Richard Stone said, “I am excited to join Actinium’s scientific advisory board and to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of Iomab-B. Older patients with relapsed or refractory AML face dismal outcomes, particularly if they are unable to receive a bone marrow transplant. Through Iomab-B’s targeted radioimmunotherapy approach, we hope to improve outcomes for these patients. I look forward to working with Dr. Berger, the Actinium team and my fellow advisory board members on this endeavor.”

Dr. Richard Stone is the Chief of Staff and Program Director, Adult Leukemia at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In addition, Dr. Stone serves as Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves on the Medical Oncology Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is vice chair of the Leukemia Core Committee for the national cooperative trials group Cancer and Leukemia Group B. Dr. Stone’s clinical practice focuses on patients refractory, advanced or complex with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative disorders. Dr. Stone received his M.D. in 1981 from Harvard Medical School, his internal medicine residency training at Bringham and Women’s Hospital and his hematology-oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

About Iomab-B

Iomab-B is Actinium’s lead product candidate that is currently being studied in a 150-patient, multicenter pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia who are age 55 and above.  Upon approval, Iomab-B is intended to prepare and condition patients for a bone marrow transplant, also referred to as a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, which is often considered the only potential cure for patients with certain blood-borne cancers and blood disorders. Iomab-B targets cells that express CD45, a pan-leukocytic antigen widely expressed on white blood cells with the monoclonal antibody, BC8, labeled with the radioisotope, iodine-131. By carrying iodine-131 directly to the bone marrow in a targeted manner, Actinium believes Iomab-B will avoid the side effects of radiation on most healthy tissues while effectively killing the patient’s cancer and marrow cells. In a Phase 2 clinical study in 68 patients with advanced AML or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) age 50 and older, Iomab-B produced complete remissions in 100% of patients and patients experienced transplant engraftment at day 28. Iomab-B was developed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where it has been studied in almost 300 patients in a number of blood cancer indications, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Hodgkin's disease (HD), Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM). Iomab-B has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for relapsed or refractory AML in patients 55 and above by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

About Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative targeted therapies for patients with cancers lacking effective treatment options. Actinium's proprietary platform utilizes monoclonal antibodies to deliver radioisotopes directly to cells of interest in order to kill those cells safely and effectively. The Company's lead product candidate Iomab-B is designed to be used, upon approval, in preparing patients for a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, commonly referred to as bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant is often the only potential cure for patients with blood-borne cancers but the current standard preparation for a transplant requires chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation that result in significant toxicities. Actinium believes Iomab-B will enable a faster and less toxic preparation of patients seeking a bone marrow transplant, leading to increased transplant success and survival rates. The Company is currently conducting a single pivotal 150-patient, multicenter Phase 3 clinical study of Iomab-B in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) age 55 and older. The Company's second product candidate, Actimab-A, is currently in a multicenter open-label, 53-patient Phase 2 trial for patients newly diagnosed with AML age 60 and over. Actimab-A is being developed to induce remissions in elderly patients with AML who lack effective treatment options and often cannot tolerate the toxicities of standard frontline therapies. In addition, Actinium is developing Actimab-M, which is being studied in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Actinium is also utilizing its alpha-particle immunotherapy (APIT) technology platform to generate new drug candidates based on antibodies linked to the element Actinium-225 that are directed at various cancers that are blood-borne or form solid tumors. Actinium Pharmaceuticals is based in New York, NY. To learn more about Actinium Pharmaceuticals, please visit www.actiniumpharma.com and to follow @ActiniumPharma on Twitter please visit, www.twitter.com/actiniumpharma.

Forward-Looking Statements for Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential, or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Actinium Pharmaceuticals undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact:

Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Steve O'Loughlin
Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development
soloughlin@actiniumpharma.com

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