SAN DIEGO, CA, USA I April 10, 2013 I MEI Pharma, Inc. (MEIP), an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer, announced the presentation of new data showing the ability of its mitochondrial inhibitor drug candidate, ME-344, to decrease tumor burden and delay recurrence in a pre-clinical in vivo model of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies. The data were presented by Ayesha Alvero, M.D., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, yesterday at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

A copy of the poster, entitled “ME-344 delays tumor kinetics in an ovarian cancer in vivo recurrence model,” is now available at www.meipharma.com.

About ME-344

ME-344 is MEI Pharma’s next-generation mitochondrial inhibitor and an active metabolite of NV-128, the Company’s first-generation compound. In April 2011, Dr. Alvero presented data at AACR from a pre-clinical study of NV-128 demonstrating its ability to induce mitochondrial instability, ultimately leading to cell death in otherwise chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer stem cells. These results were later published in the August 2011 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In additional pre-clinical studies, ME-344 demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity against a broad range of human cancer cell lines compared to NV-128. Data from an ongoing Phase I clinical trial of intravenous ME-344 in patients with solid refractory tumors is expected in June 2013. In November 2012, ME-344 was named one of the Top 10 Most Licensable Oncology Products to Watch by Elsevier Business Intelligence and Campbell Alliance. MEI Pharma owns exclusive worldwide rights to all of its drug candidates, including ME-344.

About MEI Pharma

MEI Pharma, Inc. (MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The Company’s lead drug candidate is Pracinostat, a potential best-in-class, oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor being developed for advanced hematologic malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Results from a pilot Phase II clinical trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with advanced MDS were presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2012 showing an overall response rate (CR+CRi+PR) of 89% (eight out of nine). The Company plans to initiate a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with MDS in June 2013. In addition, MEI Pharma is developing two drug candidates derived from its isoflavone-based technology platform, ME-143 and ME-344. For more information, go to www.meipharma.com.

SOURCE: MEI Pharma