ANTISOMA PRESENTS POSITIVE DATA FROM STUDY IN OVARIAN CANCER

Antisoma has announced positive data from its Phase II trial of AS1404 in ovarian cancer. Investigators' assessments of tumor response are now available for all patients. These show a response rate of 75 percent for those treated with AS1404 plus chemotherapy compared with 63 percent for patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Treatment combining AS1404 and chemotherapy was well-tolerated.

Improvements in efficacy endpoints have now been observed in three separate Phase II trials of AS1404. In a lung cancer study, patients receiving AS1404 alongside chemotherapy experienced a 5.2-month increase in median survival compared with those on chemotherapy alone. A study in prostate cancer showed response rates of 57 percent with AS1404 plus chemotherapy versus 35 percent with chemotherapy alone.

The AS1404 trial in ovarian cancer included 77 women with ovarian cancer that had recurred six months or more after treatment with platinum chemotherapy. Patients were randomized to receive either AS1404 plus carboplatin and paclitaxel or carboplatin and paclitaxel alone. Outcomes were assessed according to RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours). Thirty-six patients were evaluable for efficacy in the AS1404 group: 27 (75.0 percent) had a complete or partial response, seven (19.4 percent) had stable disease and two (5.6 percent) had progressive disease. Thirty-eight patients were evaluable for efficacy in the control group: 24 (63.2 percent) had a complete or partial response, 11 (28.9 percent) had stable disease and three (7.9 percent) had progressive disease.

The Phase II studies in ovarian and prostate cancers are ongoing and will generate further data on time to progression and survival over the coming year. The lung cancer trial is complete, and Antisoma is now preparing for Phase III development in this indication. AS1404 (DMXAA) is a small-molecule vascular disrupting agent that targets the blood vessels that nourish tumors.