AllianceBernstein Holding LP (AB)

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AB Science: First US Sale of Masitinib in Canine Mast Cell Tumors

PARIS, Feb 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Regulatory News:

AB Science SA (FR:AB) (NYSE Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB), a pharmaceutical
company specialising in the research, development and commercialisation of
protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), announced today the launch of the
commercialisation and the first commercial shipments of masitinib across the
United States to veterinary hospitals and veterinarians.

In the United States, masitinib is marketed under the brand name KINAVET-CA1, for
the treatment of recurrent or non-resectable Grade II and Grade III cutaneous
mast cell tumors in dogs that have not previously received radiotherapy and/or
chemotherapy except corticosteroids.

KINAVET-CA1 is marketed directly by AB Science sales force, complemented by a
network of three independent distributors specialized in the marketing and
distribution of veterinary oncology drugs.

Masitinib was already approved by European Medicine Agency (EMA) and
commercialised in Europe under the name MASIVET.

Dr Albert Ahn, President of AB Science USA declared " We recently published that
masitinib treatment was shown to improve long-term survival in canine mast cell
tumor, and that short-term response at 6 weeks was not predictive of long-term
survival. Our goal is to continue to develop major clinical advances for
veterinarians and to establish masitinib as the reference treatment for canine
mast cell tumour ".

About Canine Mast Cell Tumor Mast cell tumour (MCT), also known as a mastocytoma,
is the most common cutaneous malignant neoplasm in dogs, accounting for 16 to 21%
of all skin tumours. The behaviour and progression of MCTs are highly
heterogeneous. They range from slow-growing tumours with a low potential for
metastasis (grade I) to undifferentiated, aggressive tumours (grade II and III)
with a high potential for metastasising to local lymph nodes, the liver, spleen
and bone marrow

About masitinib Masitinib is a new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor
that targets mast cells, important cells for immunity, as well as a limited
number of kinases that play key roles in various cancers. Owing to its novel
mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number of conditions
in oncology, in inflammatory diseases and in certain diseases of the central
nervous system. Through its activity of inhibiting certain kinases that are
essential in some oncogenic processes, masitinib may have an effect on tumour
regression, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Through its activity on
the mast cell and certain kinases essential to the activation of the inflammatory
cells and fibrosing tissue remodelling, masitinib can have an effect on the
symptoms associated with some inflammatory and central nervous system diseases.

About AB Science Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company
specialising in the research, development and commercialisation of protein kinase
inhibitors (PKIs), a new class of targeted molecules whose action is to modify
signalling pathways within cells. Through these PKIs, the Company targets
diseases with high unmet medical needs (cancer, inflammatory diseases and central
nervous system diseases), in both human and veterinary medicines. Thanks to its
extensive research and development capabilities, AB Science has its own portfolio
of molecules. Masitinib, a lead compound, has already been registered in
veterinary medicine in Europe and in the USA, and is pursuing nine phase 3
studies in human medicine, including five studies on-going in pancreatic cancer,
GIST, in metastatic melanoma expressing JM mutation of c-Kit, in mastocytosis,
and severe persistent asthma.

Further information is available on AB Science's website:
http://www.ab-science.com

This document contains prospective information. No guarantee can be given as for
the realisation of these forecasts, which are subject to those risks described in
documents deposited by the Company to the Authority of the financial markets,
including trends of the economic conjuncture, the financial markets and the
markets on which AB Science is present.

SOURCE: AB Science SA

AB Science - Financial Communication & Press Relations
Contacts Citigate Dewe Rogerson :
Agnes Villeret
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]


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