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.

AVASTIN receives Health Canada approval for patients with GBM

Roche Canada announced today that Health Canada has approved AVASTIN(R) (bevacizumab), as a single agent, for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive primary malignant brain tumour, after relapse or disease progression, following prior therapy.

26 Mar 2010

Stage IV colorectal cancer: Therapy that improves overall survival over IFL/bevacizumab will earn 60% patient share

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that a therapy that would improve median overall survival over IFL (bolus 5-fluorouracil, generics/leucovorin, generics/irinotecan*) plus bevacizumab (Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Avastin), would earn a 60 percent patient share in stage IV colorectal cancer, according to surveyed U.S. oncologists. In Europe, such an agent would earn a 50 percent patient share, according to surveyed European oncologists.

16 Mar 2010

Enzon Pharmaceuticals initiates treatment in PEG-SN38 Phase 1 study for pediatric cancer patients

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been treated in the Phase 1 study of PEG-SN38 for pediatric cancer patients. PEG-SN38 or EZN-2208 is Enzon’s PEGylated form of SN38, the active metabolite of the cancer drug Camptosar® (irinotecan HCl injection). The study is designed to find the recommended dose of PEG-SN38 in pediatric patients. The PEG-SN38 compound is currently being evaluated in Phase 2 studies for metastatic colorectal and breast cancer.

24 Feb 2010

Antigenics announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Antigenics Inc. reported today its results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. The company reported net income attributable to common stockholders of $1.7 million, or $0.02 per share, basic and diluted, for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with net income attributable to common stockholders in the fourth quarter of 2008 of $3.9 million, or $0.06 per share, basic and diluted.

18 Feb 2010

NCI's NCL to conduct characterization studies of Celator Pharmaceuticals' HDPN formulation

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL), operated by SAIC-Frederick (Frederick, Maryland), has agreed to conduct characterization studies to advance the development of the company's nanoparticle drug formulation technology.

18 Feb 2010

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals reaches agreement with FDA on SPA for Phase 3 trial of KRX-0401

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) on the design of a Phase 3 trial for its PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor, KRX-0401 (perifosine), in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer.

3 Feb 2010

Erbitux improves survival of mCRC patients with KRAS wild-type tumors

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that Erbitux® (cetuximab) provided an improvement in overall survival (OS) when added to the standard 1st-line FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with KRAS wild-type tumors in the CRYSTAL study.

24 Jan 2010

Amgen announces results of two Phase 3 studies evaluating Vectibix for mCRC

Amgen today announced that detailed results from two pivotal Phase 3 studies evaluating Vectibix® (panitumumab) in combination with chemotherapy for the first and second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) (the PRIME '203' and '181' trials, respectively) will be presented at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in Orlando, Florida from Jan. 22-24, 2010.

21 Jan 2010

Merck’s initiation of EMD 1201081-cetuximab combination Phase 2 trial triggers €3.0M milestone payment

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it has achieved a milestone under its worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The milestone was achieved upon initiation of a Phase 2 trial by Merck KGaA of EMD 1201081, a novel agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9), in combination with cetuximab (Erbitux®) in second-line cetuximab-naïve patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

20 Jan 2010

Enzon Pharmaceuticals treats first patient in Phase 2 studies of PEG-SN38

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been treated in the Phase 2 studies of PEG-SN38 for metastatic breast cancer. PEG-SN38 or EZN-2208 is Enzon’s PEGylated form of SN38, the active metabolite of the cancer drug Camptosar® (irinotecan HCl injection).

6 Jan 2010

Arno Therapeutics announces dosing of first patient in Phase II clinical study of AR-67

Arno Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing oncology therapeutics, today announced the dosing of the first patient in a Phase II clinical study of its third-generation camptothecin compound, AR-67, in patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), an aggressive form of brain cancer.

17 Dec 2009

Preclinical study of Arno Therapeutics' drug candidate AR-42 presented at ASH 2009

Arno Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology therapeutics, today announced the presentation of a poster at the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting that describes the preclinical activity of Arno’s drug candidate AR-42 against leukemia stem cells (LSCs).

16 Dec 2009

Phase II clinical trial results of Doxorubicin Transdrug announced

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, today announces positive survival data in its phase II clinical trial with doxorubicin Transdrug® in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer).

9 Dec 2009

Interim data from Celator Pharmaceuticals' CPX-351 trial presented at the ASH meeting

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that interim safety and efficacy data from its Phase 2 multicenter, randomized, open-label clinical trial of CPX-351 (Cytarabine:Daunorubicin) Liposome Injection versus conventional cytarabine and daunorubicin therapy ("7+3") in patients 60-75 years of age with untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented at the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana (ASH Abstract # 1033).

7 Dec 2009

Ongoing Phase 1 study results of XMT-1001 announced by Mersana Therapeutics

Mersana Therapeutics, a platform-based cancer therapeutics company, announced today additional preliminary results from an ongoing Phase 1 study of its lead development candidate, XMT-1001, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

18 Nov 2009

Erbitux recognized as one of the major clinical cancer advances of 2009

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has once again recognized Erbitux® (cetuximab) as one of the major clinical cancer advances of 2009. This year Erbitux was selected by ASCO for providing the first significant increase in survival for 30 years in the treatment of patients with 1st-line recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

16 Nov 2009

Data on BioAlliance Pharma's oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation presented at the AAPS meeting

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, has presented its results on new oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation at the AAPS (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles (November 8 to 12, 2009).

13 Nov 2009

Review of Mersana Therapeutics's lead compound, XMT-1001 to be published

Mersana Therapeutics, a platform-based cancer therapeutics company, announced today that a review of the Company's lead compound, XMT-1001, will appear in the November 12, 2009 special issue of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews on Polymer Therapeutics: Clinical Applications and Challenges for Development.

12 Nov 2009

Amgen announces the results for Phase 3 PRIME '203' trial of Vectibix

Amgen today announced that the Phase 3 PRIME "203" trial evaluating Vectibix® (panitumumab) administered in combination with FOLFOX (an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy) as a first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) failed to meet a secondary endpoint of overall survival.

5 Nov 2009

Third-quarter 2009 financial results of Antigenics announced

Antigenics Inc. reported today its results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. The company incurred a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $10.8 million, or $0.13 per share, basic and diluted, for the third quarter of 2009, compared with a net loss attributable to common stockholders in the third quarter of 2008 of $11.4 million, or $0.17 per share, basic and diluted.

29 Oct 2009