IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IDM Pharma, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IDMI) today announced that it is joining the National Organization
for Rare Disorders (NORD) and more than 100 patient organizations, caregivers,
researchers and companies developing treatments for rare diseases to observe
Rare Disease Day on February 28. The goal of the day is to bring attention to
rare diseases, the challenges encountered by those affected and the importance
of research to develop diagnostics and treatments. IDM Pharma is currently
developing mifamurtide (MEPACT in Europe) for the treatment of osteosarcoma, a
rare bone cancer in children and young adults.
'Osteosarcoma impacts approximately 1,200 newly diagnosed children and
young adults every year in each of the United States and Europe,' said Robert
W. Metz, vice president, commercial operations, IDM Pharma. 'Through our
participation in Rare Disease Day, we hope to bring increased attention to the
impact rare diseases -- like osteosarcoma -- have on the lives of young
patients and their families, and help break down the barriers some patients
experience when trying to access proper diagnosis and treatment.'
IDM Pharma has developed mifamurtide to treat non-metastatic, resectable
osteosarcoma. The Company is currently awaiting a final decision on European
Marketing Authorization, anticipated within the first quarter, following the
positive opinion adopted by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use
in December 2008. The submission was based, in part, on the largest Phase 3
clinical trial ever completed in osteosarcoma, which enrolled approximately
800 patients and was a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded cooperative
group study conducted by the Children's Oncology Group (COG). The study
evaluated patient outcomes with the addition of mifamurtide to three- or
four-drug adjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate,
with or without ifosfamide). Results demonstrated that the addition of
mifamurtide to chemotherapy resulted in approximately a 30 percent decrease in
the risk of death with 78 percent of patients surviving after six years of
follow-up after treatment with mifamurtide.
About Osteosarcoma
Between two and three percent of all childhood cancers are osteosarcoma.
Because osteosarcoma usually develops from osteoblasts, it most commonly
affects children and young adults experiencing their adolescent growth spurt.
Boys and girls have a similar incidence rate until later in their adolescence,
when boys are more commonly affected.
