Peregrine’s Tarvacin shows potential in pancreatic cancer

The mouse version of the drug, called 3G4, was effective at controlling the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer as a single agent and had significantly enhanced efficacy when combined with the standard-of-care chemotherapy gemcitabine, marketed as Gemzar by Eli Lilly.

Pancreatic cancer is very difficult to treat and has the lowest 5-year survival rate of all malignancies. In this study, the Tarvacin equivalent antibody demonstrated promising activity against the primary tumor itself as well as the metastases that actually cause most pancreatic cancer deaths.

This study compared the Tarvacin equivalent antibody and gemcitabine as single agents and in combination in two realistic and clinically relevant mouse models of pancreatic cancer.

The Tarvacin equivalent antibody and gemcitabine each reduced the tumor and metastatic burden in these mice, but combination therapy with the two agents was significantly more effective than either agent alone, reducing the primary tumor burden by 60% in both models. The combination therapy also reduced metastatic events by 80% at each of the principal sites of pancreatic metastasis.

Tarvacin is a monoclonal antibody that binds to certain phospholipids, components of the cell structure that are usually located inside normal cells but which become exposed on the outside of the cells that line the blood vessels of tumors, creating a specific target for anticancer treatments.

Following news of the successful trial, shares in Peregrine rose by 12.7% to approximately $1.04 in electronic pre-market trading.