Synta announces results of ganetespib, docetaxel Phase 1 combination study on solid tumors

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA) announced that results of a Phase 1 study of ganetespib in combination with docetaxel in solid tumors were presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology in Stockholm, Sweden. Ganetespib is a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) currently being studied in a broad range of clinical trials with over 400 patients treated to date. Ganetespib is structurally unrelated to first-generation, ansamycin-family Hsp90 inhibitors such as 17-AAG or IPI-504.

"The results presented today show that ganetespib is well-tolerated when combined with docetaxel, a chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of a number of cancers including non-small cell lung cancer," said Suresh Ramalingam, M.D., Associate Professor, Chief of Thoracic Oncology and Director of Medical Oncology, Emory University. "Over half the patients in this heavily pre-treated population received at least 4 cycles of treatment. The dose-limiting toxicity for the combination was neutropenia which is associated with single agent docetaxel use. These results support the use of ganetespib at a dose of 150 mg/m² in combination with docetaxel at a dose of 75 mg/m² in the on-going Phase 2b/3 trial (GALAXY) in non-small cell lung cancer."

A confirmed partial response, with over 50% shrinkage of target tumor lesions, was reported for a patient on the trial diagnosed with cancer of the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands. The patient did not respond to prior treatment regimens including carboplatin, cetuximab, and methotrexate.

"The results from this safety trial, combined with the strong preclinical results and scientific rationale supporting synergistic activity between ganetespib and docetaxel, are encouraging, providing additional support for our GALAXY Phase 2b/3 trial in lung cancer," said Vojo Vukovic, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Synta. "These results also support further evaluation of this combination in other indications where docetaxel is currently used."