ADVENTRX submits NDA for Exelbine to FDA

ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ANX) announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its product candidate ANX-530 (vinorelbine injectable emulsion), or Exelbine.

"Our Exelbine submission includes twelve months of site-specific stability data from our intended commercial manufacturer, which fulfills a request communicated to us by the FDA earlier this year.  We believe this submission will be accepted for review in early 2011 and we look forward to working with the Agency toward our first product approval," said Brian M. Culley, Chief Executive Officer of ADVENTRX.

ADVENTRX retains exclusive worldwide rights to Exelbine, other than in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.  In March 2010, the FDA conditionally accepted "Exelbine" as the proposed proprietary name for ANX-530.  In October 2010, patent claims related to Exelbine were allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  These patent claims, when issued, will extend into 2024.  

ADVENTRX is seeking approval of Exelbine for the same indications as Navelbine®, a branded formulation of vinorelbine, including non-small cell lung cancer.  ADVENTRX submitted the NDA as a 505(b)(2) application that relies in part on the FDA's findings of safety and effectiveness of a reference drug.  The Company's 505(b)(2) NDA submission includes data from one clinical bioequivalence study designed to assess the pharmacokinetic equivalence of Exelbine and Navelbine, the reference drug.  In this clinical bioequivalence study, Exelbine and the reference drug were determined by ADVENTRX to be bioequivalent.