Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Plans Trials for Promising New Cancer Drug
Polymer Platinate (AP 5070) Has Potential to Significantly Increase Drug Delivery to Tumor, Reduce Side Effects and Allow Substantially More Drug to be
Administered
DALLAS, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AXCS) today announced that it has signed a Development Agreement with the Foundation N.D.D.O. for the development through Phase II of the company's patented compound Polymer Platinate (AP 5070). The Foundation N.D.D.O. was previously the new drug development office of the European Organization for the Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).
Polymer Platinate (AP 5070) was developed by Dr. Ruth Duncan, an internationally recognized scientist in polymer therapeutics at The University of London School of Pharmacy. The compound consists of platinum linked to a polymer, which results in greater delivery of the platinum drug to the tumor site while inhibiting release in the general circulation, thereby reducing side effects. In preclinical animal studies comparing this compound to cisplatin, the design features of Polymer Platinate (AP 5070) allowed for a 15-fold increase in platinum dosage, delivering greater than 60 times more platinum to the tumor site, with significant inhibition of tumor growth. Platinum compounds are one of the leading classes of chemotherapeutic compounds in the world with an estimated $800 million in annual sales.
Stephen B. Howell, M.D. Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego, and a Company Director, stated, "Platinum compounds are extremely effective chemotherapeutic agents, but because of their side effects, we have often been frustrated delivering the dosage necessary to achieve maximum therapeutic advantage. In cancers such as ovarian, the ability to increase the dose of platinum can have a significant impact on the clinical effectiveness of the drug. Polymer Platinate is one of the best approaches that I've seen to overcome this problem." Dr. Howell is a clinical oncologist and opinion leader in platinum therapy.
The N.D.D.O. has a network of prominent researchers and medical oncologists in over 300 institutions and plays a leading role in maintaining Europe's important contribution to cancer research. The N.D.D.O. offers a wide range of scientific expertise that provides the critical mass to rapidly advance drugs through the development process. Only drugs that have demonstrated possible new mechanisms of action and compelling pre-clinical profiles are accepted into the Phase I/II program.
Commenting on the N.D.D.O. Agreement, Kerry P. Gray, President and CEO of Access, stated "The N.D.D.O. is the preeminent European organization in the clinical development of cancer drugs. Involving the N.D.D.O. in the development of Polymer Platinate AP 5070 will provide Access with the necessary infrastructure to develop the compound most rapidly."
Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a site-directed drug targeting company using bioresponsive drug carriers to target and control the release of therapeutic agents into sites of disease activity and to clear the non- targeted drug fraction. In addition to Polymer Platinate, Access developed in conjunction with Block Drug Company Aphthasol(TM), the only FDA-approved product for the treatment of canker sores, which is now marketing in the US. Access is also developing through a license agreement with Strakan Ltd. a topical zinc delivery system called ResiDerm(TM) that provides rapid delivery and reservoir of a drug in the skin. |
