Thursday August 19, 8:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Agouron Announces Confirmatory Trial of Oral Anti-Angiogenesis Drug Prinomastat for Treatment of Lung Cancer
LA JOLLA, Calif., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it has initiated a second Phase III clinical trial of the matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitor prinomastat (formerly AG3340) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. In preclinical models, prinomastat has been shown to potently inhibit angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels which feed growing tumors), tumor invasion, and metastasis. This trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of prinomastat as part of first-line therapy in combination with chemotherapy, an effort led by ongoing Phase III clinical trials. This trial advances the ongoing clinical development of prinomastat in combination with anticancer drugs aclitaxel/carboplatin for the treatmentof advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and with mitoxantrone/prednisone for the treatment of
hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
In a study being conducted at sites in North America, Europe, and Australia, patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will be randomized to receive either prinomastat (tablet form) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin or placebo in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin. The primary objective of this study is to compare time of overall survival between patients receiving prinomastat or placebo in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin.
The most common side effects of prinomastat have been observed in the joints, and include joint stiffness, joint swelling, and in a few patients, some limits on the mobility of certain joints, most often in the shoulders and hands. All of these effects were reported reversible and were effectively managed by treatment rests and dose reductions.
Prinomastat is an orally active, synthetic molecule designed to potently and selectively inhibit certain members of a family of enzymes known as matrix metalloproteases that are believed to be involved in tumor angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Agouron is also conducting preclinical evaluation of additional MMP inhibitors with selectivity profiles distinct from that of prinomastat.
For more information on clinical trials in non-small cell lung and hormone-refractory prostate cancers utilizing the investigational drug prinomastat, dial toll-free 1-888-849-6482.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be approximately 171,600 new cases of lung cancer in 1999 in the U.S. Lung cancer will account for about 14% of all new cancer diagnoses, and about 28% of all cancer-related deaths.
Agouron, a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner-Lambert Company (NYSE: WLA - news), is an integrated pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for treatment of cancer, viral diseases, and diseases of the eye.
SOURCE: Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
