Combination TLR9 Agonist Plus Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer to be Presented at Keystone Symposium
Thursday February 3, 8:30 am ET
Positive Phase II Data on CPG 7909 (ProMune) Included in Symposium on 'Dendritic Cells at the Center of Innate and Adaptive Immunity'
WELLESLEY, Mass., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. today announced a presentation of positive data from a randomized, multi- center Phase II clinical study of ProMune(TM) in the initial treatment of non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Prof. Dr. Christian Manegold, Thoraxklinik- Heidelberg, Germany, and Arthur M. Krieg, MD, Coley's founder and Chief Science Officer will present and discuss these data at the Keystone Symposium, "Dendritic Cells at the Center of Innate and Adaptive Immunity: Eradication of Pathogens and Cancer and Control of Immunopathology". The meeting is being held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on February 1-7, 2005.
Drs. Krieg and Manegold will present a talk entitled: "Improved Chemotherapy Response Rate In Metastatic NSCLC By In Vivo Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Activation With CPG 7909, A TLR9 Agonist" on Sunday, February 6, 2005.
Prof. Manegold and the ProMune Study Team have carried out this randomized, controlled Phase II study to evaluate improved response when ProMune is added to standard chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone in first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. Results to be presented extend the interim data as reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting (ASCO) in June, 2004. Patients receiving ProMune plus standard chemotherapy (taxane and platinum) achieved objective (RECIST criteria) tumor responses more often than patients given chemotherapy alone. And the improved tumor responses with the new combination are now manifest in a positive trend in prolongation of both progression-free survival and overall survival in this difficult-to-treat cancer. Final data from this Phase II clinical study of ProMune in NSCLC will be presented later this year.
About ProMune
ProMune is the first of a new class of investigational medicines known as TLR Therapeutics(TM) being developed by Coley Pharmaceutical Group for the treatment of major medical conditions including cancers, infectious diseases, allergy and asthma. These chemically defined and well characterized drugs target toll-like receptors (TLRs) which are principal sentinels for the body's immune system. Dr. Krieg and Coley colleagues have focused initially on discovery and development of agonists specifically targeting the toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9).
ProMune triggers TLR9 to direct the immune system to attack malignant cells. Through TLR9, ProMune activates directly and selectively plasmacytoid dendritic cells and B cells, which utilize the tumor's own antigens, reversing immune tolerance to malignant cells and driving specific and sustained production of both antigen specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and antibodies. The ProMune stimulated, two-pronged immune response overcomes multiple paths of tumor resistance, and may provide immune 'memory' against recurrence of the tumor. ProMune is currently the subject of two multi-center, randomized late- stage clinical trials, one for non small cell lung cancer and the other, advanced malignant melanoma.
About NSCLC
Lung cancer is responsible for nearly 30 percent of cancer deaths in the United States. More than 173,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and, according to the World Health Organization, there are more than 1.2 million cases of lung and bronchial cancer diagnosed each year worldwide, causing approximately 1.1 million deaths annually. Almost 80 percent of lung cancer is the non-small cell type or NSCLC. Current treatments for lung cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted molecular therapy. Despite progress with multiple therapies, there are over 160,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.
Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Coley Pharmaceutical is an international biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA. Coley discovers and develops TLR Therapeutics(TM), a new class of investigational drugs that direct the human immune system to treat cancers, infectious diseases, asthma and allergy. The company has established a broad pipeline with four TLR Therapeutic programs currently advancing through clinical development either independently or with partners, and additional candidate drugs in early-stage development. Coley has partnerships with Sanofi-Aventis, Chiron, the United States Government and GlaxoSmithKline. For further information please visit coleypharma.com. |
