New data on belatacept, an investigational selective T cell costimulation blocker being studied for use in renal transplantation by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Company will be presented at the American Transplant Congress April 30 – May 4, 2011 in Philadelphia. In total, 21 abstracts from company-sponsored studies will be presented during the congress, including seven oral presentations related to kidney transplantation. The data being presented highlights the broad clinical program for belatacept, a key compound supporting Bristol-Myers Squibb’s strategy to discover and develop targeted therapies for serious diseases.

The data includes three-year outcomes from Benefit i.e a phase III study of Belatacept vs. Cyclosporine in kidney transplant recipients, 3-year safety profile of Belatacept in kidney transplant recipients from the Benefit and Benefit-ext studies and renal function at 2 years in kidney transplant recipients switched from Cyclosporine or Tacrolimus to Belatacept: results from the long-term extension of a phase II study. Three year outcomes by donor type in phase III studies of Belatacept vs. Cyclosporine in kidney transplantation (Benefit & Benefit-ext).

“Transplant patients often face multiple medical challenges following surgery” said Brian Daniels, MD, senior vice president, Global Development and Medical Affairs, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “The breadth of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s clinical data on belatacept at the American Transplant Congress demonstrates our ongoing commitment to address the unmet medical needs of patients in the renal transplant community.”

Belatacept is an investigational agent under development by Bristol-Myers Squibb for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult patients receiving kidney transplants. The proposed trade name for belatacept is Nulojix.

Belatacept is a fusion protein designed to be a selective T cell co-stimulation blocker that binds to a specific site on certain cells of the immune system (i.e., antigen presenting cells) to block the second signal necessary to activate T cells, which are immune mediators involved in allograft rejection.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.