RandyW Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Threshold Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial Evaluating Glufosfamide in Patients With Recurrent, Sensitive Small Cell Lung Cancer Monday February 5, 4:00 pm ET REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: THLD - News), today announced that it has initiated patient enrollment for a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of glufosfamide in patients with recurrent, sensitive small cell lung cancer. ADVERTISEMENT "The fatality rate among patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer is unfortunately high," said John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., Karmanos Cancer Institute, and a clinical investigator for the trial. "Currently available second-line chemotherapy has very limited expectations of benefit. This clinical trial explores another treatment option for these patients." The current standards of care in treating recurrent, sensitive small cell lung cancer are a variety of single agent and combination regimens including topotecan, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, irinotecan, ifosfamide and cisplatin. Phase 2 Clinical Trial Design Approximately 50 patients with extensive recurrent sensitive small cell lung cancer, who have progressed at least 60 days after completing chemotherapy, are planned to enroll in the Phase 2, open-label, clinical trial at various sites in the United States, Ukraine and Russia. All patients are to receive 5000 mg/m2 of glufosfamide every three weeks for up to six cycles. The primary efficacy endpoint of the trial is objective response rate. The secondary endpoints of the trial will evaluate duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, time to response and various safety and pharmacokinetic parameters. The study will also evaluate the effects of glufosfamide on lung cancer symptoms utilizing the Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS). The clinical trial will utilize a two stage design to ensure there is an adequate response rate to justify complete enrollment. The first stage will enroll 21 patients and, at the end of this stage, the trial will be stopped if fewer than three patients have a response. If three or more responses are observed, an additional 29 patients will be enrolled. Tumor response will be evaluated at baseline and every six weeks using the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST). About Small Cell Lung Cancer The National Cancer Institute estimates that 174,470 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States in 2006, and approximately 160,000 people will die each year from the disease. Small cell lung cancer is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. About 15 to 20 percent of all lung cancers are the small cell type. This cancer usually starts in the bronchi near the center of the chest but has often spread outside of the lung by the time of diagnosis. Small cell lung cancer is strongly associated with a history of cigarette smoking. About Threshold Pharmaceuticals Threshold is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for the potential treatment of cancer. By selectively targeting abnormally-proliferating tumor cells, the Company's drug candidates are designed to be potentially more effective and less toxic to healthy tissues than conventional treatments. For additional information, please visit our website (www.thresholdpharm.com). Forward-Looking Statements Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Threshold's product candidates, clinical trial progress and results, and potential therapeutic uses and benefits of our product candidates. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Threshold's ability to commence, enroll or complete its anticipated clinical trials, the time and expense required to conduct such clinical trials and analyze data, issues arising in the regulatory or manufacturing process and the results of such clinical trials (including product safety issues and efficacy results). Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in Threshold's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which was filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on November 9, 2006 and is available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and on our website (www.thresholdpharm.com) under the heading "Investors." We do not intend to update any forward-looking statement made in this news release. Contact: Denise T. Powell, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications of Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-650-474-8206, or dpowell@thresholdpharm.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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