TELIK ANNOUNCES 46% OBJECTIVE RESPONSE RATE IN PHASE 2 TRIAL OF TELCYTA™ IN COMBINATION WITH LIPOSOMAL DOXORUBICIN IN PLATINUM REFRACTORY OR RESISTANT OVARIAN CANCER

Palo Alto, CA, June 5, 2004 — Telik, Inc. (Nasdaq: TELK) reported positive results from a Phase 2 clinical trial using the combination of TELCYTA™ (TLK286) and liposomal doxorubicin. The combination demonstrated a 46% objective response rate by RECIST, and a 77% disease control rate, in patients with platinum refractory or resistant ovarian cancer. The results were presented today at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans.

Twenty-one patients have been enrolled in the Phase 2 portion of the trial. All of the patients were refractory or resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy. Thirteen patients were evaluable for efficacy; eight patients were too early to evaluate.

“The results of this trial demonstrate that the combination of TELCYTA™ and liposomal doxorubicin has the potential for improving the outcome of anthracycline-based regimens, and confirm the single agent activity of TELCYTA™ observed in previous Phase 2 clinical trials,” said Gail L. Brown, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer. Single agent liposomal doxorubicin has demonstrated a 12.6% objective response rate in patients with platinum refractory or resistant ovarian cancer in the evidence-based medical literature.1 “The enhanced efficacy seen with the TELCYTA™-liposomal doxorubicin combination in this trial was not associated with new or unanticipated toxicities.”

About Ovarian Cancer and TELCYTA™

Approximately 25,580 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in 2004, according to the American Cancer Society. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

TELCYTA is currently in Phase 3 registration trials in ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and it has been successfully tested in Phase 2 trials in ovarian, NSCLC, breast and colorectal cancer. This small molecule drug is activated by GST P1-1, an enzyme present in cancer cells. Upon activation, an intracellular process known as apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs. TELCYTA was discovered through the application of Telik’s proprietary drug discovery technology, TRAP.

About Telik

Telik, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA is a biopharmaceutical company working to discover, develop and commercialize innovative small molecule drugs to treat serious diseases. Additional information is available at www.telik.com.

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements. For this purpose, any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding the potential for TELCYTA™ (TLK286) to treat one or more types of cancer. There are a number of important factors that could cause Telik's results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, the following: none of Telik’s product candidates, including TELCYTA™, has been determined to be safe or effective in humans or received regulatory approval for marketing; it may take us several years to complete clinical trials of our product candidates, including TELCYTA™, prior to seeking regulatory approval for any indication; success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and interim results of clinical trials do not necessarily predict final results; if our competitors develop and market products that are more effective than our product candidates, or obtain regulatory approval before we do, our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated; if we do not obtain regulatory approval to market products in the United States and foreign countries, we will not be permitted to commercialize our product candidates; if we are unable to contract with third parties to manufacture our product candidates in sufficient quantities and at an acceptable cost, clinical development of product candidates could be delayed; and if we are unable to raise adequate funds in the future, we will not be able to continue to fund our operations and clinical trials to develop our product candidates. These and other risks are detailed from time to time in our SEC filings. Telik does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Reference:

(1) Gordon et al. JCO 19:14, 2001

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Contact:
Carol DeGuzman
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Telik, Inc.
Tel 650-845-7728
Email cdeguzman@telik.com


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