On April 17, 2018 Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS: SPPI), a biotechnology Company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in Hematology and Oncology, reported a poster presentation of data from preclinical and clinical studies evaluating poziotinib in HER2 exon 20 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and summarizing a dataset of the prevalence of HER2 exon 20 across solid tumors by scientists from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) which is taking place in Chicago, Illinois, April 14-18, 2018 (Press release, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, APR 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234525442]).

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"We are excited to see the first presentation of data for poziotinib in HER2 exon 20 mutations in NSCLC," said Joe Turgeon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. "These data build upon previous results from poziotinib studies and indicate that this drug could be effective in treating both EGFR and HER2 exon 20 mutations. Furthermore, new data from MD Anderson reveal that these mutations are found across a variety of solid tumors and there is strong rationale for evaluating poziotinib in a basket study."
"The pre-clinical and early clinical activity of poziotinib in EGFR and HER2 exon 20 mutant NSCLC suggests poziotinib could be a promising agent for the numerous cancer types driven by HER2 exon 20 mutations," said Jacqulyne Robichaux, Ph.D, Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "We have previously shown that poziotinib is an effective inhibitor of EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations in vitro and in vivo. These data show that poziotinib overcomes de novo resistance of HER2 exon 20 mutations in NSCLC and other cancers. Further evaluation of poziotinib in solid tumors is warranted."

About Poziotinib
Poziotinib is a novel, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (EGFR TKI) that inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of EGFR as well as HER2 and HER4. Importantly this, in turn, leads to the inhibition of the proliferation of tumor cells that overexpress these receptors. Mutations or overexpression/amplification of EGFR family receptors have been associated with a number of different cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, and gastric cancer. Spectrum received exclusive license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize worldwide excluding Korea and China from Hanmi Pharmaceuticals. Poziotinib is currently being investigated by Spectrum and Hanmi in several mid-stage trials in multiple solid tumor indications.