Delcath Systems Inc (DCTH)

[daveyjones22]

New high today. Lots of interest and the PR blitz is underway.

Eric D. Whitman, MD to Present on the Delcath PHP System(TM) at the 7th World Congress on Melanoma
10:43 am ET 05/07/2009- PR Newswire
NEW YORK, May 7/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delcath Systems, Inc., (Nasdaq: DCTH)a medical technology company testing its proprietary Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (PHP(TM)) System for the treatment of cancers of the liver, announced today that Eric D. Whitman, MD, Director of the Atlantic Melanoma Center and a Principal Investigator of Delcath's Phase III trial, will present at The 7th World Congress on Melanoma, to be held in Vienna, Austria, May 12-16, 2009.


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081118/NY46990LOGO )


Dr. Whitman's presentation, titled Percutaneous Isolated Hepatic Perfusion for Cutaneous and Uveal Metastatic Melanoma, will discuss his experience with the Delcath PHP System(TM), as part of Delcath's multi-center Phase III trial for metastatic melanoma, currently enrolling at twelve leading cancer centers throughout the United States.


This clinical study is testing the Delcath PHP System(TM) for the regional delivery of melphalan to the liver to treat patients with metastatic cutaneous and ocular melanoma who have unresectable tumors in the liver. The Delcath PHP System(TM) is designed to deliver significantly higher doses of anti-cancer drugs to a patient's liver while minimizing entry of the drugs into the rest of the patient's circulation. This isolation limits toxicities which result from systemic chemotherapy treatments.


Patients in the Phase III trial are randomized into one of two treatment arms, including immediate treatment with melphalan via the Delcath PHP System(TM) or treatment with best alternative care. The study is designed to evaluate the duration of tumor response in each of the two study arms. Following guidelines established by U.S. Food and Drug Administration under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), patients are permitted to "cross-over" from the best alternative care arm to receive treatment with the Delcath System at the time of disease progression.


Commenting on Dr. Whitman's upcoming presentation, Richard L. Taney, President and CEO of Delcath Systems, stated, "As we move towards full enrollment of Delcath's pivotal Phase III Metastatic Melanoma Study, increasing the awareness of the Delcath PHP System(TM) and its use for metastatic melanoma becomes of even greater importance. We are excited that Dr. Whitman will be sharing his experience with our System at such a prestigious conference and with such an international attendance. We look forward to more opportunities such as these to continue informing the medical community about the Delcath System."