RETAIN POSITION — Originally suggested at $1.78. …

March 11 (Reuters) – BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc (BPAX.O) said a small study showed its GVAX leukemia vaccine may be able to reduce or eliminate the remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients taking cancer drug Gleevec, sending its shares up 18 percent before the bell.

The company said the GVAX leukemia vaccine was given to 19 CML patients with measurable cancer cells, despite taking Gleevec for at least one year.

After a median of 72 months of follow-up, the number of remaining cancer cells declined in 13 patients. In seven patients, CML became completely undetectable, the company said.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

Using cancer vaccines may be a good way to “mop up” residual disease but more research is needed to confirm and expand the results, lead investigator Hyam Levitsky said in a statement.