BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 11, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Pamela Harris, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Dick Welter, Ph.D., Vice President of Corporate Business Development of VioQuest Pharmaceuticals (OTCBB:VQPH), discussed the emerging paradigm of personalized medicine during a taped interview which was aired by "12 to Your Health," a popular health show produced by New Jersey's News 12. Drs. Welter and Harris described how the advances in molecular biology have made it possible for physicians to profile the cancer-promoting steps in each patient's tumor and for pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments that "target" these steps. This kind of approach allows patients to get the best therapy for their particular cancer while not being exposed unnecessarily to toxic medications with little potential of helping them. The entire field of targeted therapeutics has already revolutionized and is likely to dominate cancer treatment for the foreseeable future. As Drs. Harris and Welter explained, VioQuest Pharmaceuticals is on the cutting edge of developing these targeted therapeutics.
The interview aired Saturday, April 8, 2006 at 9:00 AM EST, and was aired again on Sunday at 6:30 and 9:00 AM and 12:30 and 4:00 PM.
Drs. Harris and Welter reported that VioQuest Pharmaceuticals is developing VQD-001 and VQD-002 as possible treatments for various cancers such as melanoma, lymphoma, leukemia and breast cancer. VQD-001, (Sodium Stibogluconate) is currently being evaluated in a clinical trial at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center and will be evaluated in another trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. VioQuest is expected to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial for VQD-002, (Triciribine Phosphate) in advanced solid tumors at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and in hematological malignancies at MD Anderson in the first half of 2006.
Commenting on the interview, VioQuest's Chief Executive Officer Dan Greenleaf said: "We believe targeted therapeutics will fundamentally change the way oncology treatment is delivered over the course of the next five to ten years. Targeted therapeutics and personalized medicine are the areas where VioQuest is undertaking clinical trials with the intention of finding more precise and more successful cancer treatments. Thus we are delighted to be able to share our knowledge in this important area."
CDs of the segment are available through The Investor Relations Group. Please contact Lynn Granito or Erika Moran at 212-825-3210.
About VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. acquires, develops and commercializes targeted late preclinical and early clinical stage therapies with unique mechanisms of action for oncology, viral and autoimmune disorders. A leader in personalized therapeutics, VioQuest has two targeted therapeutics in clinical trials: VQD-001, an inhibitor of specific protein tyrosine phosphatases, has shown compelling preclinical activity in both renal and melanoma cancers, and VQD-002, which has been shown to inhibit the phosphorylation of Akt seen in abnormal levels in breast, ovarian, colorectal, pancreatic cancers and leukemia.
VioQuest's subsidiary, Chiral Quest, a pioneer in asymmetric chemocatalysis and custom synthesis, offers its proprietary technology products to well-known pharmaceutical and fine chemical companies worldwide to improve their production efficiencies and, in some instances, to increase the overall safety and efficacy of the underlying drug. For more information please visit www.vioquestpharm.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VioQuest's actual results and experiences to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from these statements. Among other things, there can be no assurances that any of VioQuest's research programs and compounds will be successfully commercialized. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions also include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products may not develop as expected; and that development of these products may not proceed as planned. Additional risks are described in VioQuest's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2005. VioQuest assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.