e-Therapeutics initiates second ETS2101 phase I trial in solid tumours

e-Therapeutics plc (AIM: ETX) announces that it has started a second phase I clinical trial of its anti-cancer drug ETS2101. This trial will enrol up to 45 patients with a variety of solid tumours at two UK centres, St James's University Hospital in Leeds and the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. It complements an investigator-led phase I study of ETS2101 in brain cancer that began in San Diego, California during June.    

Like the brain cancer study, the UK trial has a dose-escalating design in which groups of patients receive successively higher doses of the drug. The primary objective is to evaluate the safety of ETS2101 and identify an appropriate dose for phase II development. Secondary objectives include initial assessment of the drug's activity and evaluation of its distribution within the body (pharmacokinetics). Final results from the trial are expected during 2013.

Professor Ruth Plummer, Clinical Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research and lead investigator for the phase I study at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, said: "ETS2101 derives from an interesting new approach to drug discovery known as network pharmacology. We are pleased to be involved in the first phase of clinical trials evaluating this drug as a potential treatment for cancer."

e-Therapeutics' CEO, Professor Malcolm Young, added: "The initiation of a second trial with ETS2101 reflects the growing momentum in our clinical development programme. We hope that the promising preclinical data supporting this drug will ultimately translate into benefits for patients and look forward to seeing the first findings from cancer trials later this year."