(BSNS WIRE) CollaGenex Pharmaceutical's Metastat Part of NOVA Special On PB
CollaGenex Pharmaceutical's Metastat Part of NOVA Special On PBS Examining Role
of Anti-Angiogenesis in Cancer Treatment
Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers
NEWTOWN, Pa.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 27, 2001--
Clinical Trial Results of Metastat(R) (Col-3) Highlighted At AAAS
Annual Meeting, Published in Journal of Clinical Oncology
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CGPI) announces that the
technology surrounding the company's lead compound for cancer,
Metastat(R), also known as Col-3, will be highlighted tonight at 9 pm
EST on NOVA, PBS's legendary scientific probe into the mysteries of
the human body, the earth and the galaxy.
Cancer Warrior will trace the quest of pioneering researcher Judah
Folkman, MD, to reveal the role of angiogenesis - blood vessel growth
- in the perpetuation of cancerous tumors, and will trace the search
for treatments to block or slow the metastatic process, including
Col-3, a chemically modified tetracycline with demonstrated
anti-angiogenic properties.
Encouraging results of Phase I human clinical trials of Col-3 in
AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and in other solid tumors
refractory to conventional therapy have been completed and results
recently presented or published under the auspices of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American
Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Results of the trial in KS were presented February 16 during the
AAAS annual meeting in San Francisco by lead investigator Bruce
Dezube, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard
Medical School.
He reported to members of the medical press and several hundred
meeting attendees that 44 percent of patients in the 18-patient,
National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored trial experienced tumor
response (regression) of 50 percent or greater on Col-3 therapy, and
that three of those patients now are in full remission.
The agent was generally well-tolerated, with phototoxicity, a
common reaction observed with this class of drugs, being the most
frequently reported side effect.
"Especially encouraging in this trial was the significant
reduction of two important markers of angiogenesis -- matrix
metalloproteinase - 2 (MMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) -- among the patients who responded to Col-3. This indicates a
strong anti-angiogenic effect that may have utility not only in KS,
but also in other solid tumors," said Dr. Dezube.
"Phase I Clinical Trial of Oral Col-3, a Matrix Metalloproteinase
Inhibitor, in Patients with Refractory Metastatic Cancer," published
in the January 15 edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Vol.
19, No. 2), was a dose-finding study in 35 patients with advanced
refractory metastatic cancer.
All but one patient had received at least one prior therapy, and
the most frequent tumor types were prostate cancer and colon cancer.
NCI investigators reported that Col-3 was well-tolerated at doses
that achieved serum levels in their patients that are consistent with
levels shown to be efficacious in animal models of cancer metastasis.
While the trial was not designed to evaluate efficacy, the authors
report that eight patients had stable disease, defined as lack of
tumor progression, evaluated by CT scan at the first two-month follow
up, and continued on active therapy for more than 61 days.
Three patients experienced disease stabilization for more than six
months, and one patient has had stable disease for nearly two years
and remains on Col-3 therapy.
Because of the promising nature of the results, the investigators
recommend that the lowest dose of Col-3 advance to Phase II testing.
Cancer Warrior on NOVA will air tonight at 9 pm EST on PBS (check
local listings) and on March 20 on WNET (PBS) in the greater New York
area. Now in its 27th season, NOVA is produced for PBS by WGBH
(Boston) Science Unit. For more information on Cancer Warrior, visit
www.pbs.org/nova/cancer.
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a specialty pharmaceutical
company focused on providing innovative medical therapies. The
company's lead product, Periostat(R) (doxycycline hyclate), was
approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September 1998 and is
the first and only pharmaceutical to treat periodontal disease by
inhibiting the enzymes that destroy periodontal support tissues.
Research has shown that the enzyme-suppression technology
underlying Periostat may also be applicable to other diseases
involving destruction of the body's connective tissues, including
cancer metastasis and a broad range of inflammatory diseases.
CollaGenex is developing a series of novel, proprietary compounds
known as IMPACS(TM) (Inhibitors of Multiple Proteases and CytokineS)
to address these applications. The Company intends to pursue further
research and development of this technology primarily through
partnerships with third parties.
For additional information on CollaGenex, please visit the
Company's web site at www.collagenex.com, which is not part of this
press release.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties which may affect the Company's
business and prospects.
The Company's business of selling, marketing and developing
pharmaceutical products is subject to a number of significant risks,
including risks relating to the implementation of the Company's sales
and marketing plans, risks inherent in research and development
activities, risks associated with conducting business in a highly
regulated environment and uncertainty relating to clinical trials of
products under development, all as discussed in the Company's periodic
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Periostat(R), Metastat(R) and IMPACS(TM) are trademarks of
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
--30--NR/ph*
CONTACT: CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Robert A. Ashley, 215/579-7388
KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY MEDICAL PHARMACEUTICAL
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