Irinotecan News and Research

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Irinotecan hydrochloride is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used with other drugs to treat colorectal cancer that has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body). It is also approved to treat metastatic colorectal cancer that has recurred (come back) or gotten worse after earlier chemotherapy. In addition to the uses that have been approved by the FDA, irinotecan hydrochloride is sometimes used to treat other types of cancer. Irinotecan hydrochloride is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

New long-term survival data from OPUS, CRYSTAL studies demonstrate strong tumor shrinkage of Erbitux

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today highlighted a further analysis of the large randomized Phase II OPUS study demonstrating an association between early tumor shrinkage and long-term median overall survival (OS) of more than 2 years for patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with Erbitux® (cetuximab) plus FOLFOX standard chemotherapy.

19 Jan 2011

Celator, Cephalon extend cancer research agreement

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has agreed with Cephalon, Inc. to extend an existing research agreement into the next phase of development. The research agreement provides for the utilization of Celator's proprietary technology in an ongoing drug development and life-cycle management program at Cephalon.

10 Jan 2011

Oncolytics opens enrollment in REOLYSIN combination U.S. Phase I colorectal cancer study

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that a U.S. Phase I study of REOLYSIN® in combination with FOLFIRI (Folinic Acid (leucovorin) + Fluorouracil (5-FU) + Irinotecan) in patients with oxaliplatin refractory/intolerant Kras mutant colorectal cancer (REO 022) is now open to enrollment. The principal investigator is Dr. Sanjay Goel of the Montefiore Medical Center at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

10 Jan 2011

Choosing between EGFR therapeutic options in metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and women in the USA, with a new diagnosis made every 3.5 minutes and an associated death every 9 minutes.

6 Jan 2011

Vicus initiates VT-122 Phase 2 trial in advanced liver cancer, systemic inflammation and cachexia

Vicus Therapeutics, LLC, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 trial evaluating VT-122, a novel investigational combination of etodolac and propranolol, and Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets, as a potential new treatment option for patients with advanced liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), systemic inflammation and cachexia.

28 Dec 2010

Immunomedics announces additional claim for RS7 antibodies patent family

Immunomedics, a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, today announced that additional claims for the patent family, "RS7 antibodies," were issued as Patent No. 1,002,443 in Korea.

23 Dec 2010

Oncothyreon commences combination PX-866/cetuximab Phase 1/2 trial in cancers

Oncothyreon Inc. today announced enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 1/2 trial of PX-866 in combination with the chimeric monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux®). PX-866 is a small molecule compound designed to inhibit the activity of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3K), a component of an important cell survival signaling pathway.

20 Dec 2010

Celator granted U.S. Patent covering CombiPlex technology platform

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S Patent No. 7,850,990. This patent adds to the intellectual property surrounding Celator's innovative technology platforms and products.

17 Dec 2010

$Phase 1b clinical trial of JX-594 in metastatic, refractory colorectal cancer commences in Korea$

Phase 1b clinical trial of JX-594 in metastatic, refractory colorectal cancer commences in Korea

Jennerex, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic products for cancer, and Transgene, a bio-pharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immunotherapeutic products, today announced that enrollment and treatment of patients in a Phase 1b clinical trial has been initiated to evaluate JX-594 in patients with advanced metastatic, refractory colorectal cancer (CRC).

16 Dec 2010

Enzon in collaboration with NCI initiates EZN-2968, EZN-2208 Phase I studies for arresting tumor growth

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, today announced the initiation of Phase I clinical studies, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, for two of the Company's novel oncology product candidates, EZN-2968 and EZN-2208 (PEG-SN38).

16 Dec 2010

Nektar reports positive results from NKTR-102 Phase 2 study in metastatic breast cancer at CTRC-AACR SABCS

Nektar Therapeutics today announced positive results from a Phase 2 clinical study evaluating single-agent NKTR-102 in patients with metastatic breast cancer during the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). NKTR-102, a novel investigational topoisomerase I inhibitor-polymer conjugate, is Nektar's lead oncology candidate and is being evaluated in multiple cancer indications.

14 Dec 2010

Immunomedics reports CD22 antibody produced significant anti-tumor response

Immunomedics, a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, today reported that epratuzumab, the Company's humanized anti-CD22 antibody, conjugated with SN-38, the active component of irinotecan, produced significant anti-tumor responses in a mouse model of human lymphoma.

8 Dec 2010

Positive data from Celator's CPX-351 Phase 2 study in newly-diagnosed AML presented at 52nd ASH

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced positive clinical data in elderly patients with newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with CPX-351 (Cytarabine:Daunorubicin) Liposome Injection. Data were presented from the podium at the 52nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

8 Dec 2010

Erbitux development program featured in ASCO's Clinical Cancer Advances report for third consecutive year

For the third year in a row, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has included Erbitux® (cetuximab) research in its annual report, Clinical Cancer Advances, which features the most significant studies of 2010. The report cites as a notable advance this year the finding that BRAF mutation status is a prognostic, not predictive, marker for Erbitux efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

23 Nov 2010

Merrimack receives $2.44 million under QTDP program to support cancer research

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals was awarded $2.44 million to support research on 10 of its cancer programs through the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project, a grant program created as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to advance research in areas of unmet medical need.

9 Nov 2010

Blocking beta glucuronidase enzyme could eliminate side effects of CPT-11 in colon cancer treatment

A debilitating side effect of a widely used but harshly potent treatment for colon cancer could be eliminated if a promising new laboratory discovery bears fruit.

8 Nov 2010

Imprime PGG and cetuximab increase overall response rate in metastatic colorectal cancer

A combination of Biothera's Imprime PGG and cetuximab (Erbitux) doubled the overall response rates for second- and third-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients participating in a Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial. The completed trial results were released yesterday at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress.

13 Oct 2010

Erbitux-based therapy helps in early tumor shrinkage, long-term survival in mCRC patients with KRAS wild-type tumors

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has announced that new data presented today at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) have shown that patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who experienced early tumor shrinkage (within 8 weeks) during 1st line Erbitux (cetuximab) based treatment lived a median of 28.3 months.

12 Oct 2010

Merck Serono announces first results from Erbitux BALI-1 study in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced the first results from the BALI-1 study of Erbitux® (cetuximab) in the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive cancer in which early relapse and metastasis are common. The data, presented during the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), demonstrate that Erbitux has the potential to improve outcomes for women with this relentlessly devastating cancer.

11 Oct 2010

ACT Biotech reports positive interim data from Telatinib Phase 2 trial for advanced gastric cancer

ACT Biotech Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in San Francisco, California, today announced positive interim data from a Phase 2 trial of the Company's lead oral kinase inhibitor, Telatinib, for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer. This proof-of-concept, multi-center, open label trial was designed to test the efficacy and safety of full-dose Telatinib, administered continuously, as a first-line treatment in combination with a standard regimen of capecitabine and cisplatin in US and European patients.