A new drug combination tested by local scientists helped improve the lifespan of patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer, a European drug company said Friday.
The study of 861 patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer evaluated the drug Abraxane used with the standard chemotherapy drug gemcitabine, as compared with use of gemcitabine only.
The study found that the Abraxane-gemcitabine combination “demonstrated a statistically significant improvement†in survival versus patients who received just gemcitabine, according to Celgene Corp., which sponsored the trial and owns the rights to Abraxane.
The company did not report how much the average survival rates improved among patients who took the Abraxane combination. The company has submitted a study abstract to present findings at a American Society of Clinical Oncology’s January meeting in San Francisco. The company expects to seek Food and Drug Administration approval for the drug combination.
Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, the study’s principal investigator, said the positive trials results are “very exciting news†that should become the standard of care for late-stage pancreatic cancer patients.
“This is really a home-grown regimen,†said Von Hoff, who is physician in chief of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Chief Scientific Officer for the Scottsdale Healthcare Research Institute.
Patients at Scottsdale Healthcare helped launch the study of the Abraxane combination under a trial headed by Von Hoff. The pilot study of 67 patients was followed with a phase two study of 44 patients. That research found that tumors shrank in about half the patients, and about half the patients lived at least one year.
Advanced pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate among cancers with just 5.5 percent of patients expected to live five years.
Von Hoff launched the initial study of Abraxane on pancreatic patients based on research conducted by TGen, the International Genomics Consortium and Abraxis Bioscience Inc., a Los Angeles biotechnology company that was acquired by Celgene in 2010.
Von Hoff said the initial studies were supported by funds raised by Roger Magowitz, who launched a foundation honoring his mother and holds an annual golf tournament that raises funds for pancreatic cancer research. Magowitz’s mother, Seena Magowitz, passed away at 64 after a bout with pancreatic cancer.
Von Hoff said he called Magowitz Friday to share to news about the positive clinical trial results. “It is a great tribute to (Roger Magowitz) who helped get this started with pilot support to find that target. That got the pilot trial done, which culminated in this very tough study,†Von Hoff said.
TGen and Von Hoff are studying other drug combinations, attempting to build off the results of the Abraxane-gemcitabine combination. Among areas of study: finding ways to halt the growth of pancreatic cancer tumors by targeting the tumors’ fuel supply.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/news/articles/20121109cancer-drug-fares-well-trial.html
No comments:
Post a Comment