Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Sunesis Pharmaceuticals has said that interim data from the company's ongoing phase I trial of its experimental cancer drug in patients with relapsed and/or refractory acute leukemias continue to demonstrate anticancer activity.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
When administered on either a weekly schedule, five out of ten patients in the 50mg/m2 and 60mg/m2 dose cohorts experienced bone marrow blast reductions of more than 95%, including one complete remission with incomplete platelet recovery, one complete remission in a patient who demonstrated partial but incomplete recovery of normal hematopoietic blood elements and one partial response.
Additionally, in the twice-weekly 40mg/m2 dose cohort, one of three patients had blast reduction of more than 95% and that patient achieved a complete remission. Several patients have gone on to receive and tolerate multiple courses of treatment with the drug, SNS-595.
SNS-595 is a replication-dependent DNA damaging agent that causes double- stranded DNA breaks, irreversible G2 arrest, and rapid apoptosis. The phase I study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of SNS-595 and to establish a recommended phase II dose for further testing among patients with acute leukemia. Sunesis plans to initiate a phase Ib clinical trial of SNS-595 in combination with cytarabine in patients with advanced acute leukemias in the third quarter of this year.