Rigel's R788 Evaluated in Phase 2 Trial in Multiple Cancers
PR Newswire - Monday 06/01/2009 7:30 AM ET
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that its oral Syk inhibitor, R788, is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial funded, designed and implemented by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This open-label, single arm clinical trial will include patients with advanced colorectal, thyroid, non-small cell lung, hepatocellular, head and neck, or renal cell cancers who have failed to respond to at least one line of therapy.
Enrolled patients will receive 200 mg of R788 twice a day and will be monitored to measure a variety of clinical responses as well as drug safety. Patients will continue to receive R788 in 28-day treatment cycles until disease progression, or patient or physician withdrawal occurs. The NCI will conduct the clinical trial, Rigel will supply study drug and will receive clinical data and trial results.
"We value the NCI's expertise and support in exploring the potential of R788 in treating these solid tumors," said Elliott Grossbard, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer of Rigel. "These results may provide another path for further expanding R788's therapeutic potential," he added.
Rigel is presently conducting two Phase 2b clinical trials with R788, known as TASKi2 and TASKi3, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Results from these trials are expected in July of this year. In addition, the company has an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of R788 in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma and reported favorable results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of R788 in the treatment of patients with certain B-cell lymphomas in June 2008.
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