Vion Initiates Phase 2 Trial of Triapine'r' and Gemcitabine in Lung Cancer
NEW HAVEN, CT, May 21, 2003 - VION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (NASDAQ SMALLCAP: VION)
announced today that it had initiated a new Phase 2 trial of Triapine'r' in combination with gemcitabine in patients with metastatic or advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Enrollment of patients began at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee under the direction of Dr. Howard Burris. The study was also recently activated at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas under the direction of Dr. George Blumenschein, Jr. Initiation of additional sites is planned in the coming months.
Data from a Phase 1 trial of Triapine'r' and gemcitabine will be presented in a poster presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in June 2003. Vion is also planning to begin a Phase 2 trial of Triapine'r' and gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer in the near future.
Dr. Mario Sznol, Vice President, Clinical Affairs, stated, "Our Phase 2 trials of Triapine'r' and gemcitabine in lung and pancreatic cancer will provide us with information on the activity of this combination in diseases where gemcitabine has established only modest anti-tumor activity on its own. If there is an indication from the trials that the combination is more active than the expected rate for gemcitabine alone, we expect to initiate definitive randomized trials."
Dr. Sznol added, "The combination of Triapine'r' and gemcitabine is strongly supported by our preclinical studies, which showed that Triapine'r' administered prior to gemcitabine markedly increases the ability of gemcitabine to kill cancer cell lines."
Triapine'r' is designed to be a potent inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase, an enzyme important for DNA synthesis. Gemcitabine is sold under the brand name
Gemzar'r' by Eli Lilly & Company. |
