Genta initiates new dose-ranging study of tesetaxel drug

Genta Incorporated (OTCBB: GETA) announced that the Company has initiated a new dose-ranging study of tesetaxel, the Company’s novel oral tubulin inhibitor, using a weekly dosing regimen. Tesetaxel -- a late Phase 2 oncology product -- is the leading oral taxane currently in clinical development.

“Since the activity of certain taxanes may be schedule-dependent, we plan to evaluate both dosing regimens to ensure we have maximized the potential efficacy and safety of tesetaxel in our late-stage clinical programs.”

Genta has recently completed a dose-ranging and pharmacokinetic study using tesetaxel administered once every 3 weeks, a schedule that has shown anticancer activity in several Phase 2 clinical trials. This schedule has been extensively evaluated in a series of Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials that together have enrolled more than 280 patients. Data from the recently completed study of the once-every-3-week schedule have confirmed safety findings previously reported for this regimen, and the results have been submitted for presentation to the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) that is scheduled in June 2010. The new trial is the first clinical study to test an alternative dosing regimen in which the drug will be administered once weekly for 3 consecutive weeks, followed by 1 week off treatment. The goal of the study will be to establish safety and a suitable dose for extended testing in late-stage clinical trials.

“Weekly dosing schedules of other taxanes have been increasingly incorporated into so-called “dose dense” chemotherapy programs, particularly in breast cancer,” commented Dr. Loretta M. Itri, Genta’s President, Pharmaceutical Development, and Chief Medical Officer. “Since the activity of certain taxanes may be schedule-dependent, we plan to evaluate both dosing regimens to ensure we have maximized the potential efficacy and safety of tesetaxel in our late-stage clinical programs.”