The new study is designed to evaluate Onconase (ranpirnase) in patients that have shown resistance to other treatments and will assess a new schedule of administration. The results from the first part of the trial will be used to expand the company’s clinical program in beginning phase II trials in other cancers.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has generated a huge unmet need for more-effective therapies that can prevent disease recurrence and have fewer toxic side effects than current therapies.
“We believe the expansion of the Onconase clinical program demonstrates our commitment to the building of an oncology franchise across multiple indications, while providing further evidence of Alfacell’s position as a leader in the development of novel therapeutics derived from ribonucleases,” commented Kuslima Shogen, chief executive officer of Alfacell Corporation.
Onconase is currently being evaluated in a confirmatory phase IIIb study as a treatment for malignant mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer. Over 50 sites in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia are participating in this trial.