Seattle Genetics Initiates SGN-30 Phase II Clinical Trial for Cutaneous Lymphoma
Thursday September 23, 9:00 am ET
BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 2004--Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN - News) announced today that it has initiated a phase II clinical trial of SGN-30 for the treatment of primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Primary cutaneous ALCL, which is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that involves the skin, is the company's third clinical indication for SGN-30. The phase II study is designed to evaluate the antitumor activity and tolerability of SGN-30 in up to 40 patients who have relapsed or are resistant to prior therapies.
Seattle Genetics is conducting additional phase II studies of SGN-30 in Hodgkin's disease and systemic ALCL. The company has reported data from the first five systemic ALCL patients treated with SGN-30, noting that objective responses were observed in two patients. Seattle Genetics plans to report additional preliminary data from these ongoing phase II studies at the American Society for Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in December 2004.
"We are optimistic about the therapeutic potential of SGN-30 in ALCL and believe it may offer a rapid path to regulatory approval," stated Dr. Michael McDonald, Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Genetics. "We are also conducting clinical trials of SGN-30 in Hodgkin's disease as a single agent and are planning future studies in combination with chemotherapy."
SGN-30 is a genetically engineered monoclonal antibody that targets CD30-positive hematologic malignancies, including Hodgkin's disease and certain types of lymphomas and leukemias. The company has received orphan drug designations from the FDA for SGN-30 in both Hodgkin's disease and T-cell lymphomas, a category that includes ALCL. Seattle Genetics is also conducting preclinical studies to evaluate the potential of SGN-30 in the treatment of immunologic diseases.
About ALCL
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a type of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 54,300 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, of which an estimated 15% are of T-cell origin, will be diagnosed in the United States during 2004. Most ALCL cases fall into one of two distinct forms: systemic ALCL, involving lymph nodes or extranodal sites; or primary cutaneous ALCL, involving skin nodules. For more information about ALCL, visit www.alcl.com.
About Seattle Genetics
Seattle Genetics discovers and develops monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to treat cancer and other human diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of product candidates targeted to many types of cancer, including three being tested in multiple ongoing clinical trials, SGN-30, SGN-15 and SGN-40, and three in preclinical development, SGN-35, SGN-75 and SGN-17/19. The product candidates encompass three platform technologies: genetically engineered monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT). Seattle Genetics has developed leading ADC technology comprised of highly potent synthetic drugs and stable linkers for attaching the drugs to monoclonal antibodies. The company currently has license agreements for its ADC technology with Genentech, Celltech Group, Protein Design Labs and CuraGen and for its ADEPT technology with Genencor International. More information about Seattle Genetics can be found at www.seattlegenetics.com. |
