Antisense Presents Excellent Safety Profile of Trabedersen at ASCO 2011
TGF-β2 inhibitor trabedersen achieves Proof of Concept for systemic intravenous (i.v.) application as monotherapy
Regensburg, Germany and Chicago, USA, June 7, 2011 / B3C newswire / - At the international cancer congress ASCO 2011 in Chicago, USA, the biopharmaceutical company Antisense Pharma presented today current data from its ongoing clinical Phase I/II trial with intravenous monotherapy of trabedersen (AP 12009) for the treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (PanCa), malignant melanoma (MM), and colorectal carcinoma (CRC). During the oral presentation session ‘Developmental Therapeutics – Clinical Pharmacology and Immunotherapy’ Helmut Oettle, MD, PhD, Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, coordinating investigator pointed out trabedersen’s encouraging safety and efficacy data: “These data suggest that trabedersen is safe and very well tolerated in systemic application – and quality of life is already a crucial factor in validation of new anti cancer drugs.” PanCa patients treated 2 nd-line with trabedersen (N=15) reached a median overall survival (mOS) of 6.9 months which is comparable to best available chemotherapy (mOS 5 – 6 months, historical data) 1. Additionally, patients treated 2nd-line with the dose 140 mg/m2/d (N=9) showed an encouraging survival benefit: their mOS was 13.4 months – in comparison to best available chemotherapy. “Since there is no approved 2nd-line treatment for PanCa patients in the USA and Europe, we are confident that our innovative immunostimulatory medication trabedersen will help to prolong survival in advanced pancreatic cancer patients.” adds Hubert Heinrichs, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Antisense Pharma. “Based on this very encouraging data we are currently preparing an international randomized, active-controlled Phase II/III study as 2 nd-line treatment in PanCa patients – scheduled to start in 2012.”
Phase I/II study design: trabedersen monotherapy for the treatment
of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, malignant
melanoma, and colorectal carcinoma
AP 12009-P001 is an open-label, multicenter, Phase I/II dose
escalation trial to evaluate safety and tolerability of i.v.
administration of trabedersen in 61 patients with advanced solid
tumors known to overproduce TGF-b2, who were either not or no
longer amenable to established forms of therapies. The enrollment
and treatment of patients is completed. The evaluation of patients
and collection of data is ongoing. Final analysis (database lock)
is planned in 2011.
AP 12009-P001: Treatment schedule and dose
finding
Primary objective of this multicenter Phase I/II study was the
determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) as well as the
dose limiting toxicity (DLT) of two core cycles and up to 8
extension cycles of trabedersen administered every other week.
Secondary objectives include safety and tolerability,
pharmacokinetic profile and potential antitumor activity of
intravenous trabedersen treatment.
Initially 33 adult patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma (PanCa, stage III/IV, N=23)2, malignant melanoma (MM, stage III/IV, N=5)2, or colorectal carcinoma (CRC, stage III/IV, N=5)2 have been enrolled into the dose-escalation part of the study. Patients were treated in cohorts with i.v. trabedersen monotherapy as 2nd- to 6th -line therapy with escalating doses in 2 treatment schedules (1 st schedule: 7d on, 7d off; 2nd schedule: 4d on, 10d off; up to 10 cycles). After completion of dose-escalation, further patients (PanCa, n=14 / MM, n=14) were enrolled in the Phase II part of the study and treated with a dose of 140 mg/m2/d in the 4d on, 10d off schedule.
The dose escalation followed a classical cohort design with at least 3 and up to 6 patients per cohort receiving trabedersen. The starting dose was chosen based on the Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (LOAEL) determined in monkeys as the most relevant species3. LOAEL was found to be equivalent to 48 mg/m 2/d in human adults and therefore, the starting dose was set at 40 mg/m2/d (equivalent to approx. 1 mg/kg b.w./day). The Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) regularly reviewed available safety and efficacy data before each dose escalation step. Toxicity was assessed based on National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC, version 2). A DLT was defined as an at least possibly related, medically important event, of NCI-CTC grade 3 or 4, a worsening by ≥ 2 grades from baseline for renal or hepatic toxicities, a worsening by ≥ 3 grades from baseline for other laboratory parameters, or other toxicities considered dose-limiting by the investigator. If more than 2 patients of a cohort had DLTs, the next lower dose was defined as MTD. Dose-escalation had to be stopped if MTD was reached.
Conclusion: Safety, dosage and efficacy of trabedersen in solid
tumors
A total of 61 patients have been treated: PanCa (n=37), MM (n=19,
follow up for 7 MM patients is ongoing), and CRC (n=5). Trabedersen
showed excellent safety and encouraging survival results. The only
identified expected adverse reaction was non-serious and transient
thrombocytopenia. Within the 1 st schedule, MTD was
established at a dose of 160 mg/m2 /d. In the
2nd schedule (4d on, 10d off) dose escalation was
stopped prior to reaching a MTD. In this schedule, a well tolerated
and efficacious dose (140 mg/m2/d) was identified.
The median overall survival of all PanCa patients treated
2nd-line (independent of dose and schedule, n=15), was
6.9 months (95% Cl: 2.9, 13.4), while the mOS of all PanCa Patients
treated 2nd-line with 140 mg/m2/d (n=9) was
13.4 months (95% Cl: 2.2, 39.7). One PanCa patient had a
long-lasting complete response of liver metastases and is still
alive after 61 months (status Oct 2010). Further promising efficacy
data were also observed in stage IV melanoma patients with a mOS of
13.8 months (N=5; status May 2011). The evaluation of 14 melanoma
patients treated with the 140 mg/m2/d dose is
ongoing.
Inhibition of TGF-β2 via trabedersen – a novel
immunotherapeutic approach in cancer treatments
“Treatment of cancer remains one of the biggest challenges in
medical care. Involving the body’s own immune system to fight
tumor cells is an intelligent approach and will probably become the
future of innovative targeted therapies”, says Dr. Oettle.
The antisense oligonucleotide trabedersen specifically inhibits the
synthesis of the protein transforming growth factor beta 2
(TGF-β2) – one of the strongest immunosuppressors
produced by many advanced tumors. “Treatment with trabedersen
downregulates the synthesis of TGF-β2 and de-masks tumor cells
by breaking down the immunosuppressing shield. This process may
lead to an immunomodulatory effect”, explains
Karl-Hermann Schlingensiepen, MD PhD, Chief Executive
Officer at Antisense Pharma.
This mode-of-action hypothesis is supported by results from
high-grade glioma patients treated with trabedersen in a
randomized, active controlled Phase IIb study: Trabedersen was
administered into a single tumor lesion – even if the
patients had shown multiple lesions. Several of these patients
showed a partial or complete response of all tumor lesions –
even if further tumors were located on the contralateral hemisphere
of the brain and a direct effect of trabedersen was unlikely.
“We assume that this response is caused by activated immune
cells”, resumes Dr. Schlingensiepen. “Immune cells are
able to penetrate the entire tumor tissue and are capable to attack
tumor cells at any place in the body.” The immuno-modulating
and survival enhancing effects of the TGF-β2-inhibitor
trabedersen needs to be confirmed in further studies. Therefore
Antisense Pharma is currently preparing an international
randomized, active-controlled Phase II/III study as
2nd-line treatment of advanced PanCA
patients.
Additional Information
About Antisense Pharma
GmbH
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 medications specifically block the synthesis
of key cancer proteins. Antisense Pharma has clinical trials
running that involve patients with brain tumors, advanced
pancreatic carcinoma, malignant melanoma and colorectal carcinoma.
Therapies for other indications are under preclinical development.
The company has been honored with the German Founder‘s Award
and the Bavarian Innovation Award and received the Innovation Prize
TOP 100.
Trabedersen
(AP 12009) and TGF-β2
Trabedersen is a first-in-class gene silencing antisense compound
– a phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide – designed to
selectively downregulate the production of transforming growth
factor-beta 2 (TGF-β2) at the translational level. TGF-β2
plays a pivotal role as a multimodal cytokine by regulating key
mechanisms of tumor progression. Immunosuppression, invasion and
metastasis, proliferation and angiogenesis are simultaneously
promoted by TGF-β2 in a variety of malignant tumors. Therefore
Trabedersen is a targeted multimodal therapy and one of the very
promising immunotherapeutic approaches in the oncological field.
Besides in high grade glioma, trabedersen is also being
investigated in other aggressive cancers which over-express
TGF-β2: Trabedersen is being systemically administered
intravenously (i.v.) in adult patients with advanced pancreatic
carcinoma, malignant melanoma, or advanced colorectal carcinoma in
a Phase I/II study.
Contact
Carolin Nolte
ANTISENSE PHARMA GmbH | Josef-Engert-Str. 9 | 93053 Regensburg,
Germany
Phone + 49 941 920 13 175 | Fax +49 941 920 13 29 | presse@antisense-pharma.com
1 Literature-Data: CONKO 3 study, Pelzer et. al
JCO, 2008
2American Joint Committee
on Cancer, AJCC 2002; corresponds to AJCC 1997 stage IVA or
IVB
3Schlingensiepen et al. Intracerebral
and intrathecal infusion of the TGF-beta 2-specific antisense
phosphorothioate oligonucleotide AP 12009 in rabbits and primates:
toxicology and safety. Oligonucleotides. 2005
Posted: June 2011
