Researchers say a new type of cancer treatment has produced highly promising results in preliminary drug trials.

Olaparib was given to 19 patients with inherited forms of advanced breast, ovarian and prostate cancers caused by mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

In 12 of the patients – none of whom had responded to other therapies – tumours shrank or stabilised.

The study, led by the Institute of Cancer Research, features in the New England Journal of Medicine.

One of the first patients to be given the treatment is still in remission after two years.

[ad]

Olaparib – a member of a new class of drug called PARP inhibitors – targets cancer cells, but leaves healthy cells relatively unscathed.

The researchers, working with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, found that patients experienced very few side-effects, and some reported the treatment was “much easier than chemotherapy”.

Researcher Dr Johann de Bono said the drug should now be tested in larger trials.

He said: “This drug showed very impressive results in shrinking patients’ tumours.

“It’s giving patients who have already tried many conventional treatments long periods of remission, free from the symptoms of cancer or major side-effects.”

Olaparib is the first successful example of a new type of personalised medicine using a technique called “synthetic lethality” – a subtle way of exploiting the body’s own molecular weaknesses for positive effect.

In this case the drug takes advantage of the fact that while normal cells have several different ways of repairing damage to their DNA, one of these pathways is disabled by the BRCA mutations in tumour cells.

Olaparib blocks one of the repair pathways by shutting down a key enzyme called PARP.

This does not affect normal cells because they can call on an alternative repair mechanism, controlled by their healthy BRCA genes.

But in tumours cells, where the BRCA pathway is disabled by genetic mutation, there is no alternative repair mechanism, and the cells die.

Cancer cells with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations are the first to be shown to be sensitive to PARP inhibitors.

But there is evidence that olaparib will also be effective in other cancers with different defects in the repair of DNA.

Professor Stan Kaye, who also worked on the study, said: “The next step is to test this drug on other more common types of ovarian and breast cancers where we hope it will be just as effective.”

[ad]

The researchers say the process of drug evaluation and registration may have to be revamped to take consideration of the fact that new generation cancer drugs target specific molecular defects, rather than types of cancer.

Dr Peter Sneddon, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: “It is very encouraging to see the development of ‘personalised treatment’, tailored to the requirements of the individual patient, becoming a reality as it offers the opportunity to design new drugs that are truly selective.

“Although development of this drug is in its early stages, it is very exciting to see that it has the potential to work when other treatment options have failed.”

Source: BBC NEWS

Popularity: 3% [?]

BTG to receive $13m upfront plus potential milestones of up to $307m and sales royalties

London, UK: BTG plc (LSE: BGC), the life sciences company, announces it has granted worldwide rights to Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop and commercialise BTG’s novel anticancer compound, BGC 945.

[ad]

Under the terms of the agreement, BTG will receive an upfront payment of $13m and has the potential to receive development milestone payments of up to $72m plus additional payments of up to $235m relating to product approval and achievement of commercial milestones. BTG will also receive a royalty on any future sales worldwide.

“Onyx has a strong track record in developing and commercialising novel cancer therapeutics, as evidenced by their success with Nexavar®, and we see the company as an ideal partner to take BGC 945 forward,” commented Louise Makin, BTG’s chief executive officer. “This agreement is in line with our strategy to realise value from our current pipeline as we focus new investments on acquiring and developing later-stage products.”

BTG has progressed BGC 945 into late-stage preclinical development in collaboration with The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) where the compound was discovered. BTG will share approximately 10% of the upfront and milestone revenues it receives relating to BGC 945 with ICR plus a pass-through royalty.

BGC 945 is a novel compound that inhibits thymidylate synthase (TS), an enzyme involved in cell growth and division. However, unlike traditional TS inhibitors, BGC 945 enters tumour cells via the alpha-folate receptor, which is over-expressed in certain tumour types, including ovarian, lung, endometrial and mesothelioma cells, but has a restricted expression profile in normal tissues.

Source: BTG plc

Popularity: 3% [?]

The insurance program for the poor has decided to cover tests for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, genes that when altered, as the NIH explains, are risk factors for breast and ovarian cancer.

Doctors participating in Illinois Medicaid can order the genetic test, the Chicago Tribune reports, and the state will also pay for genetic counseling for women considered at high risk of developing either type of cancer. Read the full story

Popularity: 2% [?]

BOTHELL, WA and VANCOUVER- OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI) today announced that it concluded a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 7, 2008, and that the FDA agreed that “durable pain palliation is an acceptable and desirable study endpoint” to support a product marketing approval for OGX-011 as a treatment for hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). In addition, OncoGenex reported that the FDA provided guidance on the submitted protocol including recommendations on study endpoints, the appropriate patient population, entry criteria and study conduct. The company plans to revise and submit the protocol for completing a Special Protocol Assessment with the FDA prior to initiating the registration trial.

Based on the results of this meeting, the Board of Directors of OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals has approved the release of 25% (347,207) of the shares held in escrow pursuant to agreements related to Sonus Pharmaceuticals’ merger with OncoGenex Technologies described in its Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on July 3, 2008. The escrow agreements provided for the release of 25% of the shares held in escrow following the occurrence of a meeting with the FDA to confirm that pain palliation is an appropriate primary endpoint to support a product marketing approval in prostate cancer. A total of 694,431 milestone shares remain in escrow.

“Our data combining OGX-011 with second line chemotherapy in patients with HRPC has shown potential improvement in both pain palliation and survival. On July 14, 2008, OncoGenex announced that the company successfully completed an SPA with the FDA on the design of another Phase 3 registration trial of OGX-011 targeting overall survival as a primary endpoint for the treatment of HRPC,” said Scott Cormack, President and CEO of OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals. “Obtaining FDA’s agreement that pain palliation is an appropriate primary endpoint to support product approval in prostate cancer and receiving FDA’s guidance on trial designs is essential to our plans to pursue development of OGX-011 using appropriate primary endpoints such as pain palliation and survival.”

This planned registration trial to evaluate pain palliation is based on encouraging preliminary data from a Phase 2 study in HRPC indicating that OGX-011 treatment may result in durable pain palliation. These Phase 2 data were presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and reported in a previous press release on June 2, 2008. In summary, the Phase 2 study included 42 patients with HRPC who had received first-line docetaxel therapy and required second-line chemotherapy. While follow up on surviving patients is still ongoing, preliminary findings related to pain palliation reported reductions in pain or analgesic use in approximately 50% of evaluable patients treated with either mitoxantrone plus OGX-011 or retreated with docetaxel plus OGX-011. These data are better than expected when compared to the 22-35% of patients receiving first-line chemotherapy who reported a reduction in pain in the primary Phase 3 study resulting in the approval of docetaxel (TAX 327 study) that was published in the October 7th, 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

About OGX-011

OGX-011, also known as custirsen sodium, is designed to block production of clusterin, a cell survival protein that is over-produced in several cancer indications and in response to many cancer treatments, including hormone ablation therapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Increased clusterin production is observed in many human cancers, including prostate, non-small cell lung, breast, ovarian, bladder, renal, pancreatic, anaplastic large cell lymphoma and colon cancers and melanoma. Increased clusterin production is linked to faster rates of cancer progression, treatment resistance and shorter survival duration. OGX-011 is being evaluated in five Phase 2 clinical trials, each of which has completed patient enrollment. Interim study results have previously been presented for each of the five clinical trials.

About OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies that address unmet needs in the treatment of cancer. OncoGenex has a deep oncology pipeline, with each product candidate having a distinct mechanism of action and representing a unique opportunity for cancer drug development. OGX-011, the lead candidate currently completing five Phase 2 clinical studies in prostate, lung and breast cancers, is designed to inhibit the production of a specific protein associated with treatment resistance; OGX-427 and SN2310 are in Phase 1 clinical development; and CSP-9222 and OGX-225 are currently in pre-clinical development. More information is available at www.oncogenex.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements concerning agreements with the FDA regarding endpoints and clinical trial design and anticipated clinical and other product development activities and timing of these activities. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. For example, statements of the Company’s ability to gain FDA agreement on protocol design and time frames to do so, the strength of the combined oncology product pipeline, the timing of clinical trials and development efforts and the results of clinical and pre-clinical studies are all forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the possibility that an agreement with FDA cannot be reached regarding a clinical trial using pain as the primary endpoint for OGX-011, the timing and costs of clinical trials and regulatory approvals, risks that clinical trials will not be successful or confirm earlier clinical trial results, risks associated with obtaining funding from third parties or completing a financing necessary to support the costs and expenses of clinical studies as well as research and development activities, as well as other risks relating to the development, safety and efficacy of therapeutic drugs and potential applications for these products. A more complete discussion of risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2007, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2008. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein or to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof.

Source: OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The FDA has warned clinical-test giant LabCorp that it has been marketing an ovarian cancer test without approval, vindicating skeptics of the assay who worried it wasn’t ready for prime time. Read the full story

Popularity: 3% [?]

INDIANAPOLIS and NEW YORK– Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and ImClone Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: IMCL) today announced that the boards of directors of both companies have approved a definitive merger agreement under which Lilly will acquire ImClone through an all cash tender offer of $70.00 per share, or approximately $6.5 billion. Read the full story

Popularity: 7% [?]