Kadian

MINNEAPOLIS -- MGI PHARMA, INC. (Nasdaq:MOGN), an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has begun marketing Kadian(R) in the United States to oncology health care professionals for moderate to severe pain associated with cancer. Kadian will continue to be marketed by Alpharma to pain specialists in the United States.

"We believe Kadian is an excellent fit with MGI PHARMA's expertise and capabilities in the oncology supportive care market, and we are excited to begin promotion of Kadian for cancer pain," said Lonnie Moulder, President and CEO of MGI PHARMA. "Training of our salesforce is complete, and we are pleased to be able to offer clinicians and their patients a once-per-day therapeutic option for the management of pain associated with cancer."

According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), approximately 30% to 50% of people with cancer experience pain while undergoing treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of cancer related pain ranges from 4 to 5 million cancer patients in the United States. Despite current treatment, pain is not satisfactorily controlled in approximately 50% of cancer patients.

About Kadian(R)

Kadian is available in 20, 30, 50, 60, and 100 milligram capsules each containing identical polymer coated sustained release pellets of morphine sulfate for oral administration. Adverse events associated with Kadian therapy are typical of opioid analgesics as a class. In controlled clinical trials in patients with cancer pain, the most commonly reported adverse events related to Kadian included drowsiness (9%), constipation (9%), nausea (7%), dizziness (6%), and anxiety (6%). Kadian is contraindicated in patients who have a known hypersensitivity to morphine, morphine salts, or any of the capsule components, with respiratory depression in the absence of resuscitative equipment, with severe bronchial asthma, and who have or are suspected to have paralytic ileus.

About MGI PHARMA

MGI PHARMA, INC. is an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company that acquires, develops and commercializes proprietary products that address the unmet needs of cancer patients. MGI PHARMA has a portfolio of proprietary pharmaceuticals, and intends to become a leader in oncology. MGI PHARMA markets Aloxi(R) (palonosetron hydrochloride) injection, Kadian(R) (morphine sulfate) capsules, Salagen(R) Tablets (pilocarpine hydrochloride) and Hexalen(R) (altretamine) capsules in the United States. The Company directly markets its products in the U.S. and collaborates with partners in international markets. For more information about MGI PHARMA, please visit www.mgipharma.com.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are typically preceded by words such as "believes," " expects," "anticipates," "intends," "will," "may," "should," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of MGI PHARMA's future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in these statements. Factors that might cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of MGI PHARMA's product candidates to be proven safe and effective in humans, to receive marketing authorization from regulatory authorities, and to ultimately compete successfully with other therapies; continued sales of MGI PHARMA's marketed products; development or acquisition of additional products; reliance on contract manufacturing; changes in strategic alliances; continued access to capital; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its most recently filed Form 10-Q or 10-K. MGI PHARMA undertakes no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group