The phase II trial is also designed to determine the extent of its ability to improve the survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common form of primary brain cancer.
The first stage of the trial is designed to determine the safety and the maximum tolerated dose of Azixa in combination with oxaliplatin. The maximum tolerated dose of Azixa alone was determined during the earlier phase I trials. The second stage of the trial will then assess the survival of patients treated with the Azixa plus oxaliplatin compared to Azixa alone or oxaliplatin alone.
Azixa has a dual mode of action; it acts as a cytotoxin and a vascular disrupting agent (VDA). VDAs kills tumor cell by reducing the blood supply to a tumor.
“The ability of Azixa to cross the blood-brain barrier gives us hope that because it can reach the site of the disease, it could be a more effective therapeutic than anything available today,” said Adrian Hobden, president of Myriad Pharmaceuticals.