2007 ASCO Annual Meeting: Clinical Results on Phase IIb-study with AP 12009 in Anaplastic Astrocytoma selected for Poster Discussion
REGENSBURG, Germany, May 10th, 2007 - Antisense Pharma, a German biopharmaceutical company specialized in targeted therapies for malignant tumors, today announced, that data from the Phase IIb-study with AP 12009 in high-grade glioma will be presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A, from June 1st - 5th.
In the open-label, randomized dose-finding Phase IIb-trial adult patients with recurrent or refractory high-grade glioma were treated either with one of two doses of the TGF-beta2 inhibitor AP 12009 - applied by convection-enhanced delivery - or chemotherapy (temozolomide or PCV) as a control. Survival data in the subgroup of anaplastic astrocytoma patients suggest superiority of AP 12009 over chemotherapeutic treatment.
Median overall survival has not yet been reached in both AP 12009 dose groups in contrast to 91 weeks in the chemotherapy treatment group. Overall response rates demonstrate a benefit of AP 12009 over chemotherapy. The duration of long-term tumor responses until now exceeds the active treatment period by far.
“The significance of our clinical research findings is reflected by the fact, that the Scientific Program Committee has chosen the data for poster discussion among many high quality abstracts”, says the coordinating investigator of the study, Prof. Ulrich Bogdahn, MD, University of Regensburg, Germany. Data from the Phase IIb-study on efficacy and safety in anaplastic astrocytoma patients will be discussed by Albert J. Wong, MD on Sunday June 3rd 2007 in the session “Central Nervous System Tumors” from 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in room S100a on Level 1 of McCormick Place South Building.
Prof. Bogdahn will be available for further discussion at the poster entitled “A Phase IIb actively controlled study with the TGF-beta2 inhibitor AP 12009 for recurrent or refractory anaplastic astrocytoma” (Poster Board No. 13, Abstract ID 2025), which will be on display from 08:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday June 3rd 2007 in room (S 102a) on Level 1 of McCormick Place South Building.
The potential of AP 12009 as monotherapy in
anaplastic astrocytoma patients will be further investigated in an
international Phase III clinical trial currently in preparation,
which is planned to include study centers in Europe, Asia, and
North America.
For further information please contact:
ANTISENSE PHARMA GmbH
Dr. Heike Specht / Public Relations
Josef-Engert-Str. 9, D-93053 Regensburg
Phone: +49-941-92013-0
Fax: +49-941-92013-29
e-mail: pr@antisense-pharma.com
www.antisense-pharma.com
About ASCO
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting is a premier educational and scientific event, that brings together thousands of researchers and oncology professionals from all over the world.
About Antisense Pharma
Antisense Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company located in Regensburg, Germany. The company focuses on targeted therapies for malignant tumors and is dedicated to discovering and developing drugs based on antisense technology for worldwide commercialization.
The agents specifically block the synthesis of key cancer proteins. The lead product AP 12009 - a Transforming Growth Factor-beta2 inhibitor - is in advanced clinical development for the treatment of high-grade glioma as well as in Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. The further product pipeline covers preclinical drug candidates as well as compounds in research and discovery. Antisense Pharma has been honored with the Bavarian Innovation Award and the German Founders Award.
This document contains forward-looking statements with respect to the future business of Antisense Pharma GmbH. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that could occur in the future. There is a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially. Antisense Pharma GmbH disclaims any intent of obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
Posted: May 2007
