Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new treatments for prostate cancer, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its lead candidate TOK-001 for the treatment of patients with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). TOK-001 is the only compound in development that combines three distinct mechanisms of action for the treatment of CRPC. CRPC is an advanced, difficult-to-treat form of prostate cancer that does not respond to prostate cancer therapies. Nearly all men initially diagnosed with prostate cancer eventually advance to CRPC. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among men in the U.S.
“TOK-001 delivers a three-pronged attack on CRPC cells, and has shown very promising results in preclinical models of prostate cancer,” said Seth Harrison, M.D., chairman and acting chief executive officer of Tokai and managing general partner of Apple Tree Partners. “This proprietary multi-target mechanism marks a novel and promising approach to both treating CRPC and addressing the clear unmet medical need for a safe and effective CRPC therapy. We are looking forward to building upon our promising preclinical safety and efficacy data to establish clinical safety and proof of concept in this tumor type.”