ImmunoGen,
Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN), a biopharmaceutical company that develops
targeted anticancer therapeutics, today announced the presentation of
encouraging initial clinical findings with SAR3419 at the American
Society of Hematology (ASH) 51st Annual Meeting and
Exposition. Among the findings reported were responses to SAR3419 –
administered as a single agent – among patients with B-cell
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is refractory to treatment with rituximab
(Rituxan®).
SAR3419 is an investigational compound designed to target and kill
cancer cells that express the protein, CD19, on their surface. The
compound is in development by sanofi-aventis for the treatment of
relapsed/refractory CD19-expressing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other
B-cell malignancies. ImmunoGen created SAR3419 using its Targeted
Antibody Payload (TAP) technology and licensed it to sanofi-aventis as
part of a broader collaboration.
The study found that 17 of 27 (63%) patients who were response-evaluable
at the time of data cut-off for presentation experienced a reduction in
tumor size (7% to 86% reduction). These included 7 of 14 (50%) patients
who had disease that was refractory to treatment with rituximab.
Five patients had an objective response, all of whom received SAR3419 at
its maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or the next highest or lowest dose.
Among these responders was a patient with rituximab-refractory disease.
All but one of these five patients reached the best response either
during the last treatment cycle allowed under the study protocol (cycle
6) or after their last dose of SAR3419. This is consistent with the
observation that the best response to treatment typically occurred after
a patient had received several doses of SAR3419.