Sunesis cancer drug shows promise

The phase I clinical trial recruited 41 patients with advanced solid tumors and was designed to examine the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of escalating doses of SNS-595. Results from the study demonstrate evidence of sustained disease control using SNS-595 among a variety of tumor types, with one confirmed partial response as well as 12 patients achieving stable disease for more than twelve weeks.

The phase I clinical trial was an open-label multi-center study in which patients received increasing doses of SNS-595 by intravenous injection every three weeks for up to six cycles.

In the study, SNS-595 was well tolerated. The dose-limiting effect was a reversible decrease in the white blood cell count, while non-hematologic side effects observed were mild and easily managed.

Pharmacokinetics were highly reproducible and consistent across patients. In addition, a maximum tolerated dose of 48mg/m squared was established through this study.

Dr Daniel Adelman, senior vice president of R&D at Sunesis said: “This anti-tumor response, combined with SNS-595’s tolerability, predictable pharmacokinetics and unique mechanism of action provide strong support for this drug’s continued development. We are initiating several phase II clinical trials of SNS-595 in separate tumor settings to determine the optimal therapeutic applications and regulatory strategy for this product.”