Celator(R) Pharmaceuticals Announces Phase 3 Clinical Study of CPX-351 Achieved Target Enrollment in High Risk (Secondary) Acute Myeloid Leukemia

On October 27, 2014 Celator Pharmaceuticals reported that the target enrollment of 300 patients has been achieved in the company’s multicenter, randomized, open-label Phase 3 study of CPX-351 (cytarabine:daunorubicin) Liposome for Injection versus the current standard of care, conventional cytarabine and daunorubicin therapy (7+3) in patients with untreated high-risk (secondary) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release Celator Pharmaceuticals, OCT 27, 2014, View Source [SID:1234500882]). The study randomized the 300th patient ahead of schedule and will remain open for a short time to enable all patients currently in the process of referral and evaluation to complete enrollment into the study.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"AML continues to be a devastating condition with a particularly poor prognosis in the high-risk population. Unlike other cancers, treatments for AML have not significantly advanced patient outcomes for several decades. Based on results to date and the combination-optimizing mechanism behind CPX-351, I am hopeful that we can soon offer a superior option to standard chemotherapy in older patients with high-risk AML," commented Jeffrey Lancet, M.D., Senior Member and Chief of the Leukemia/Myelodysplasia Program at Moffitt Cancer Center.

Celator is conducting the pivotal Phase 3 study in partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The study enrolled patients between the ages of 60 and 75 with newly diagnosed, previously untreated AML arising from prior myelodysplasia or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, prior history of chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, or with cytogenetic evidence of abnormalities associated with myelodysplasia. Patients were randomized to receive CPX-351 (100u/m2; Days 1, 3, 5) or conventional 7+3 chemotherapy. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is overall survival. Secondary endpoints include complete response (CR+CRi) rate, duration of remission, 30- and 60-day mortality, event-free survival, aplasia rate, and rate of stem cell transplant. The study began enrollment in December 2012 and is being conducted at leading institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Results from the final analysis of induction response rate are expected in the second quarter of 2015, and overall survival data, the primary endpoint of the study, are expected in the first quarter of 2016.

"We are excited to achieve our target enrollment ahead of schedule and believe it demonstrates both the great need for a new treatment for AML patients, as well as strong clinical interest in CPX-351," said Scott Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Celator Pharmaceuticals. "Completion of patient accrual in this pivotal Phase 3 study is an important milestone for Celator. We look forward to reporting the induction response rate results in the second quarter of 2015 and we project the primary endpoint data of overall survival to be available in the first quarter of 2016. In addition, we are especially grateful to the patients, the clinical investigators, and our partner, the LLS, for participating in this study."

(Press release, Compugen, OCT 27, 2014, View Source [SID:1234505008])

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!


Cancer Research UK and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research team up to boost blood cancer trials

On October 27, 2014 Cancer Research UK, with its commercial arm Cancer Research Technology, and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research reported that they have signed a deal to jointly fund early phase clinical trials of experimental drugs for patients with blood cancers (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, OCT 27, 2014, View Source [SID1234523220]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

This collaboration will increase support for trials of promising new treatments for blood cancers – leukaemias, lymphomas and myeloma – which affect around 30,000 people every year in the UK.

Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research will provide access to promising new treatments that are being researched by its scientists, as well as financial support for Cancer Research UK to develop these therapies through preclinical, and early Phase I and Phase II clinical development.

The trials will be managed and run by Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development through the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) network, an initiative funded by Cancer Research UK and the UK’s four Health Departments, at hospitals across the country.

Cancer Research Technology will be responsible for the further clinical and commercial development of joint projects, ensuring that both charities receive a proportion of revenues from any drugs that ultimately reach the market. The agreement will initially last five years, with up to five trials anticipated to be funded in that time.

Professor Chris Bunce, research director at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: "We are at an exciting period in blood cancer research, with our scientists identifying more treatment targets and developing more drugs than ever before. The infrastructure and know-how exchanged by working together with Cancer Research UK will enable this initiative to give patients access to potentially life-saving breakthroughs sooner.

"There is an urgent need for new blood cancer drugs, as many patients cannot tolerate or do not respond to traditional treatment options like chemotherapy."

Dr Nigel Blackburn, director of Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development, said: "Bringing together Cancer Research UK’s cutting-edge facilities and expertise, with Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research’s high quality research is an exciting prospect that we hope will bring promising new treatments to patients with blood cancer sooner.

"As the world’s largest charity dedicated to cancer research, we hope this will pave the way for further strategic partnerships with other charities who are interested in working together to speed up the translation of today’s scientific discoveries into future cancer treatments."

XTANDI (ENZALUTAMIDE) CAPSULES RECEIVE POSITIVE CHMP OPINION FOR THE TREATMENT OF MEN WITH METASTATIC CASTRATION-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER WHO ARE CHEMOTHERAPY-NAÏVE

On October 24, 2014 Astellas Pharma Europe reported that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending a variation to amend the Marketing Authorisation for enzalutamide (trade name XTANDI) (Press release Astellas, OCT 26, 2014, View Source [SID:1234500880]). The positive opinion relates to the use of enzalutamide for the treatment of adult men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic after failure of androgen-deprivation therapy in whom chemotherapy is not yet clinically indicated.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"For us urologists treating patients with mCRPC, this positive opinion from the CHMP is an important milestone towards making enzalutamide available across Europe. Enzalutamide marks a significant step for many patients who live with mCRPC as encouraging, it demonstrates benefits in overall survival, has a positive impact on quality of life and has been shown to be well tolerated", said Professor Bertrand Tombal, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Division of the Urology and Professor of Physiology, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) and European Principal Investigator for PREVAIL. "As well as clear efficacy and safety benefits over placebo, enzalutamide has the additional advantage of not requiring steroids to be taken concomitantly and requires only basic monitoring, making it a simple option for both healthcare professionals and patients. It is my hope that the European Commission follows this opinion, providing us with a viable new treatment option for those patients not suitable for chemotherapy.

The positive CHMP opinion is based on results from the phase III PREVAIL study which showed that men treated with enzalutamide demonstrated a statistically significant reduction both in the risk of death and a delay in cancer progression and the time to initiation of chemotherapy as compared to those treated with placebo.

Enzalutamide reduced the risk of death by 29% (HR=0.71; p<0.001), compared with placebo. In addition, treatment with enzalutamide significantly reduced the risk of radiographic progression or death by 81% compared with placebo treatment (HR=0.19; p<0.001). Men taking enzalutamide experienced a 17-month delay in the time to initiation of chemotherapy compared with men taking placebo (28.0 months versus 10.8 months; HR=0.35; p<0.0001).

The most common clinically relevant adverse events among the enzalutamide population as compared with placebo-treated patients in the PREVAIL trial included fatigue, hot flush and hypertension. Hypertension was observed in 13% of enzalutamide versus 4% of placebo-treated patients. Grade 3 or higher cardiac adverse events were reported in 3% of enzalutamide versus 2% of placebo-treated patients. One patient (0.1%) out of the 871 patients treated with enzalutamide, and one patient (0.1%) receiving placebo experienced a seizure.

In the EU, the European Commission generally follows the recommendations of the CHMP opinion and delivers its final decision around two months after the CHMP recommendation.

XTANDI is currently licensed in Europe for the treatment of adult men with mCRPC whose disease has progressed on or after docetaxel therapy. Marketing authorisation was granted by the European Commission in June 2013.

Betta Pharmaceuticals and Xcovery to co-develop a new generation ALK inhibitor

On October 25th 2014 Betta Pharmaceuticals and Xcovery reported that Xcovery will get an equity investment worth 20 million dollars from Betta Pharmaceuticals (Press release, Betta Pharmaceuticals, OCT 25, 2014, View Source;id=1492 [SID1234516487]). As the leading enterprise in new drug research and development of China, Betta continues to exert efforts in research and development of new drugs after successfully completed the development and marketing of Icotinib Hydrochloride. Located in Florida,U.S.A., Xcovery is a R&D enterprise focusing on development of new generation anti-tumor targeted drugs. Its key program, X-396, is a new generation ALK inhibitor directed at lung cancer, which is now under Phase 1/2 clinical research in the United States. Apart from equity investment, Betta will also get the development right of the X-396 program in China.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!