ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 6, 2012 - EntreMed, Inc. (ENMD), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, announced today the publication of an article by Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, entitled “ENMD-2076, an Oral Inhibitor of Angiogenic and Proliferation Kinases, Has Activity in Recurrent, Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer,” in the European Journal of Cancer.
The article reports findings of a clinical trial providing evidence that ENMD-2076 has activity in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and observed toxicities were similar to other PO kinase inhibitors. Based on the findings, it is recommended that additional studies with ENMD-2076 are warranted, especially in combination with active chemotherapeutic agents in platinum-resistant patients.
The study which was an open-label single-arm Phase 2 study of a single agent ENMD-2076 taken daily orally (PO) had a total of 64 patients enrolled. The progression free survival rate (PFS) at 6 months was 22%, with a median time to progression of 3.6 months while median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 2 months. The other co-authors of the article include clinical investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, University of Colorado, and University of Chicago in the US as well as Princess Margaret Hospital and Campbell Family Institute for Cancer Research in Toronto, Canada.
Dr. Matulonis, who is the medical director of Gynecologic Oncology at Dana-Farber, commented on the publication, “Epithelial ovarian cancer represents the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. There is unmet medical needs to develop new drugs with fewer side effects and/or better efficacy to improve the quality and duration of life of the patients, especially those whose cancer is resistant to platinum treatment.
ENMD-2076 is a novel small molecule kinase inhibitor with unique combination of mechanisms of action that involve inhibition of several pathways key to tumor growth and survival including angiogenesis, proliferation and the cell cycle. Based on pre-clinical and Phase 1 clinical studies of ENMD-2076, we believed that the drug candidate may play a role in fitting some of the unmet medical needs. This Phase 2 trial further demonstrates the anti-cancer activity of ENMD-2076 in yet a difficult to treat patient population of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer with tolerable side effects.”
Notably, Dr. Matulonis continues, “ENMD-2076 also showed anti-cancer activities in patients with clear cell carcinoma, a histological subtype considered as chemo-resistant, two of three patients recruited had longer PFS than the median with one patient in stable disease for over two years.
As recent reports suggest VEGF is frequently expressed in clear cell cancers, this subtype might be particularly responsive to therapies that incorporate VEGF inhibition. Further clinical evaluations of ENMD-2076 may therefore be warranted in this patient subset either as a single agent or in combinations.”
Ken Ren, Ph.D., EntreMed’s Chief Executive Officer further commented, “We are very pleased and honored to have this Phase 2 trial data published in such an esteemed journal. This is a further endorsement of the global medical and science community on the clinical and scientific value of ENMD-2076 in ovarian cancer treatment. We truly believe that ENMD-2076 may potentially offer unique and competitive advantages for unmet medical needs in such difficult to treat oncology indications including platinum-resistant and/or clear cell ovarian cancer in improving the patients’ quality and duration of life. We are committed to the global clinical development of ENMD-2076 for cancer patients who might benefit from its therapy. With the support of clinical investigators like Dr. Matulonis, their commitment and dedication, and the support from our long term shareholders, we are confident that we can achieve our goal.”
About EntreMed
EntreMed, Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company employing a drug development strategy primarily in the United States and China to develop targeted therapeutics for the global market. Its lead compound, ENMD-2076, a selective angiogenic kinase inhibitor, has completed several Phase 1 studies in solid tumors, multiple myeloma, and leukemia, and is currently completing a multi-center Phase 2 study in ovarian cancer. EntreMed, Inc. recently initiated a dual-institutional Phase 2 study of ENMD-2076 in triple-negative breast cancer. Additional information about EntreMed is available on the Company’s web site at www.entremed.com and in various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).
About ENMD-2076
ENMD-2076 is an orally-active, Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor with a unique kinase selectivity profile and multiple mechanisms of action. ENMD-2076 has been shown to inhibit a distinct profile of angiogenic tyrosine kinase targets in addition to the Aurora A kinase. Aurora kinases are key regulators of mitosis (cell division), and are often over-expressed in human cancers. ENMD-2076 also targets the VEGFR, Flt-3 and FGFR3 kinases which have been shown to play important roles in the pathology of several cancers. ENMD-2076 has shown promising activity in Phase 1 clinical trials in solid tumor cancers, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. ENMD-2076 is currently completing a Phase 2 trial for ovarian cancer. EntreMed, Inc. recently initiated a dual-institutional Phase 2 study of ENMD-2076 in triple-negative breast cancer.
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