Sydney - Wednesday - July 26: (RWE Australian Business News)...

Sydney - Wednesday - July 26: (RWE Australian Business News) -
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd (CXS) reports that over the past 24 hours
there has been significant local and international media coverage in
newspapers reporting that chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who
take the drug Gleevec are at increased risk of heart disease.
These reports follow a publication in the international
scientific journal Nature Medicine1 on July 23 that reported that
Gleevec is cardiotoxic and recommended that individuals who are on the
drug should be followed closely for symptoms of heart failure.
ChemGenex says its investigational drug Ceflatonin is currently
in phase 2/3 trials internationally for patients who fail Gleevec and
other tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Ceflatonin works independently of pathways blocked by Gleevec
and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors and has demonstrated broad clinical
activity in CML patients.
ChemGenex Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Greg
Collier said, "Whilst there is no suggestion at this stage that CML
patients should discontinue therapy with Gleevec, these findings do
suggest that certain CML patient groups may be advised to seek
intervention other than tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy."