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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
April 2, 1998
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
AVAX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 000-29222 13-3575874
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) IRS Employer
of incorporation) Identification Number)
4520 Main Street
Suite 930
Kansas City, MO 64111
(Address of principal executive offices)
(816) 960-1333
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Page 1 of 5 Pages
Exhibit Index Appears at Page 3
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Item 5. Other Events
On April 2, 1998, AVAX Technologies, Inc. issued the press release
attached hereto as Exhibit 99.8, which is incorporated by reference herein
(including, without limitation, the information set forth in the cautionary
statement contained in the final paragraph of the press release).
Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibit:
99.8 Press Release dated April 2, 1998.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
AVAX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Date: April 2, 1998
By: /s/ Jeffrey M. Jonas
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Name: Jeffrey M. Jonas, M.D.
Title: President and Chief Executive
Officer
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Exhibit Index
Exhibit Number Description
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99.8 Press Release dated April 2, 1998.
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EXHIBIT 99.8
Contact Jeffery M. Jonas, MD Thomas Redington
Chief Executive Officer 203/222-7399
816/960-1333 212/926-1733
Highly Specific Cellular Immune Response
Reported For Membranes Derived From M-Vax(TM)
NEW ORLEANS, LA APR. 2 - AVAX Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVXT) said
scientists reported that the membrane of a haptenized melanoma cancer cell may
have the same immunogenic properties as a haptenized cell, as measured by T cell
responses.
The findings, presented this week by Takami Sato, MD, are considered a
significant extension of the work reported last year in Clinical Immunology and
Immunopathology (Vol.85, No.3, 12/97) using haptenized melanoma peptides.
Dr. Sato is a collaborator with the inventor of the immunotherapy, David
Berd, MD, professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University's Kimmel Cancer
Center and chairman of AVAX's Scientific Advisory Board.
T cells are a specific kind of lymphocyte responsible for cellular immune
responses that result in killing foreign, invading cells. The purpose of the
study was to determine whether a cellular immune response, as measured by T cell
function, could be evoked by cell membranes as well as by intact cells.
The study found that T cells obtained from peripheral blood cells of a
patient who had previously received multiple doses of M-Vax, autologous
haptenized melanoma cells, could be induced to produce large amounts of a
cell-killing cytokine, interferon-gamma, by exposure to membranes obtained from
autologous haptenized melanoma cells.
These studies of haptenized cell membranes confirmed a highly specific
cellular immune response, just like that produced from intact haptenized cells.
Jeffrey M. Jonas, MD, president and chief executive officer of AVAX, said,
"The company believes that these results further strengthen the scientific basis
for the highly specific immune-stimulating properties of M-Vax." He further
emphasized that these findings are consistent with earlier reports of excellent
clinical outcome findings in Phase I/II studies with M-Vax as a surgical
adjuvant in Stage 3 melanoma patients, measuring both time-to-tumor relapse as
well as overall survival.
AVAX Technologies, Inc. is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company
that acquires rights to and is developing technologies and products for the
treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The company has focused
its initial efforts primarily on the development of immunotherapies and
chemotherapies for cancer. Immunotherapy is a rapidly developing segment of the
cancer therapeutic market.
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# # #
Except for statements that are historical, the statements in this release
are "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("PSLRA") and
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange 1995 Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks
and uncertainties, and in light of the significant uncertainties inherent in
such statements, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a
representation by AVAX that the objectives and plans of the company will be
achieved; in fact, actual results could differ materially from those
contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Many important factors affect
the company's ability to achieve the stated outcomes and to successfully develop
and commercialize its product candidates, including, among other things, the
ability to obtain substantial additional funds, obtain and maintain all
necessary patents or licenses, to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of product
candidates at each state of development, to meet applicable regulatory standards
and receive required regulatory approvals, to meet obligations and required
milestones under its license agreements, to be capable of producing drug
candidates in commercial quantities at reasonable costs, to compete successfully
against other products, and to market products in a profitable manner, as well
as other risks detailed from time to time in AVAX's public disclosure filings
with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including, without
limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December
31, 1997. AVAX does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any
revisions to these forward-looking statements or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.
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