FORM 6 - K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of May 2000
Commission File Number 0-29350
VASOGEN INC.
(Translation of Registrant's name into English)
2155 Dunwin Drive, Suite 10, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 4M1
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover Form 20 - F or Form 40 - F.)
Form 20 - F [ X ] Form 40 - F [ ]
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.)
Yes [ ] No [ X ]
This Form 6-K consists of:
A press release issued by Vasogen Inc. on May 16, 2000, entitled:
"Vasogen's Immune ModulationTherapies Mediated by the Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine
Interleukin-10":
SIGNATURE
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, thereunto duly authorized.
VASOGEN INC.
By /S/ Christopher Waddick
-----------------------
(Name: Christopher Waddick)
(Title: Vice-President, Finance & CFO)
Date: May 16, 2000
<PAGE>
Vasogen Inc.
INVESTOR CONTACT
2155 Dunwin Drive, Suite 10
Mississauga, ON, Canada L5L 4M1 Trevor Burns
tel: (905) 569-2265 fax: (905) 569-9231 Investor Relations
http://www.vasogen.com tel: (905) 569-9065
e-mail: [email protected]
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vasogen's Immune Modulation Therapies Mediated by the
Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-10
Toronto, Ontario (May 16, 2000) - Vasogen Inc. (TSE:VAS; AMEX:MEW) today
announced that University of Toronto researchers have identified interleukin-10
(IL-10), a cytokine produced by regulatory T cells, as a key factor in the
anti-inflammatory mechanism of the Company's immune modulation therapies. IL-10
has been shown to play a significant role in inflammatory medical conditions,
including ischemia/reperfusion injury and autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis.
"We now have direct evidence of an immune-mediated mechanism that explains the
marked anti-inflammatory effects seen with our immune modulation therapies,"
said Dr. Anthony Bolton, Vasogen's Director of Research. "This new understanding
at the molecular level is consistent with the success we have witnessed with our
therapies in a growing number of models of important diseases."
These results, coming from research carried out under the direction of Dr.
Daniel Sauder, Professor and Chief of Dermatology at the University of Toronto,
were presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the International Society of
Dermatology, held on May 10 - 14 in Chicago. The results, obtained in an animal
model of inflammatory skin disease, showed that the administration of a course
of Vasogen's immune modulation therapy significantly reduced inflammation in the
treated animals by 46% (p < 0.005) compared to control animals. In animals
specifically bred to produce none of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10,
however, treatment with immune modulation therapy had no effect, demonstrating
that IL-10 is an important mediator in the anti-inflammatory mechanism of these
therapies.
"The suppression of inflammation that we have achieved with Vasogen's therapies
is comparable to that of powerful immunosuppresive drugs, such as cyclosporine,
but without the severe toxicity and long-term cancer risk of these agents," said
Dr. Sauder. "These findings, along with the new evidence regarding the key role
of IL-10 in the mechanism of immune modulation therapy, make me enthusiastic
about the prospects for our ongoing clinical trial with VAS972 immune modulation
therapy in psoriasis. A therapy with the ability to up-regulate the production
of interleukin-10 in patients with inflammatory conditions would represent a
major advance in the treatment of autoimmune and other inflammatory diseases."
Vasogen is focused on developing immune modulation therapies to advance the
treatment of cardiovascular, autoimmune and related inflammatory diseases.
These therapies are designed to target fundamental disease-causing events,
providing safe, effective treatment.
Statements contained in this press release, including those pertaining to
scientific and clinical research, commercialization plans, strategic alliances,
and intellectual property protection, other than statements of historical fact,
are forward-looking statements subject to a number of uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from statements made.
