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Synribo

Generic name: omacetaxine mepesuccinate
Treatment for: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Update: Synribo (omacetaxine) Now FDA Approved - October 26, 2012

U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee Recommends ChemGenex Validate a Diagnostic Prior to Approval of Omapro in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients with T315I Mutation

MELBOURNE, Australia & MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 22, 2010 - ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:CXS) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 7-1 that a validated test to identify the T315I mutation should be reviewed by the FDA prior to approval of Omapro (omacetaxine mepesuccinate).

ChemGenex has been working with the FDA on the T315I diagnostic matter and the FDA has confirmed that it will meet with ChemGenex to review the diagnostic strategy on 9 April 2010.

The question posed to the ODAC panel by the FDA was not regarding the safety and efficacy of Omapro, but was stated as the following:

"Should a well characterized in vitro diagnostic to identify patients with the T315I mutation be required and reviewed by the FDA and correlated to clinical trial results prior to approval of omacetaxine for the proposed indication?"

"We are encouraged by the positive comments from some members of the ODAC panel about the benefits of Omapro and the unmet medical need for CML patients with the T315I mutation," said Adam R. Craig, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ChemGenex. "We have a meeting scheduled next month with members of the FDA's drug and diagnostic teams and will continue to work with the agency as it considers our new drug application for Omapro."

"Over the past several months, ChemGenex has been working closely with the FDA on a diagnostic strategy to allow for approval of Omapro. We are committed to making Omapro available to patients as soon as possible," added Greg Collier, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, ChemGenex.

ChemGenex is seeking FDA approval for Omapro (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for the treatment of adults with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have failed prior therapy with imatinib and have the Bcr-Abl T315I mutation. T315I is a common mutation that renders CML resistant to all currently approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

About ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited

ChemGenex is an oncology focused biopharmaceutical company developing small molecules with new mechanisms of action to treat malignancies with significant unmet medical needs. A New Drug Application has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Marketing Authorisation Application has been validated by the European Medicines Agency for CML patients who have failed imatinib therapy and have the Bcr-Abl T315I mutation. ChemGenex has established a corporate alliance with Hospira to develop and commercialize omacetaxine in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa, and is seeking to establish commercial partnerships in the rest of the world. ChemGenex plans to commercialize omacetaxine itself in North America. ChemGenex trades on the Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "CXS" For additional information on ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals, please visit the company's website at http://www.chemgenex.com.

Omapro™ is a trademark of ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements made herein (including for this purpose sites to which a hyperlink has been provided) that use the words "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, including, among others, risks or uncertainties associated with the development of the company's technology, the ability to successfully market products in the clinical pipeline, the ability to advance promising therapeutics through clinical trials, the ability to establish our fully integrated technologies, the ability to enter into additional collaborations and strategic alliances and expand current collaborations and obtain milestone payments, the suitability of internally discovered genes for drug development, the ability of the company to meet its financial requirements, the ability of the company to protect its proprietary technology, potential limitations on the company's technology, the market for the company's products, government regulation in Australia and the United States, changes in tax and other laws, changes in competition and the loss of key personnel. These statements are based on our management's current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could change the results described in the forward-looking statements. Investors should be aware that there are no assurances that results will not differ from those projected.

Contact: ChemGenex Contacts:

ChemGenex Information

Dr. Greg Collier

CEO and Managing Director

Cell (Australia): +61 419 897501

Cell (USA): +1 650-200-8145

gcollier@chemgenex.com

or

Investor Relations – Australia

Buchan Consulting

Kyahn Williamson, +61 (0)3 9866 4722

Cell: + 61 (0)401 018 828

kwilliamson@bcg.com.au

or

Investor Relations – USA

Blueprint Life Science Group

Remy Bernarda, +1-415-375-3340 ext. 2022

Cell: +1-415-203-6386

rbernarda@bplifescience.com

Posted: March 2010

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