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news.Results from a clinical trial demonstrate that a cancer treatment developed by Human Genome Sciences is well tolerated and can be administered safely in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
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A total of 32 patients with recurring non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received 10 mg/kg doses of Human Genome’s mapatumumab treatment, HGS-ETR1, administered as an intravenous infusion 21 days apart in the absence of disease progression.
The primary objective of the study was to evaluate tumor response. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety and tolerability of HGS-ETR1, and to determine plasma concentrations of HGS-ETR1 for use in a population pharmacokinetic analysis.
The data demonstrates that HGS-ETR1 was well tolerated, with no patients discontinuing therapy due to drug-related toxicity, and that HGS-ETR1 can safely be administered intravenously every 21 days at doses of 10 mg/kg. No immunogenic responses were observed. Stable disease was observed in 29% of the patients treated, with 8 patients receiving at least 4 cycles of therapy.
The company plans to further evaluate the efficacy of HGS-ETR1 in combination with other therapeutic agents for the treatment of NSCLC and is currently investigating the drug’s action against colorectal cancer.
According to figures released by Human Genome Sciences, NSCLC accounts for approximately 75-80% of all lung cancers. The company believes that an estimated 173,000 new cases or more occurred in the US in 2004. It is currently the leading cause of cancer death in the US in both men and women.