NuCanas retooled chemo drug comes up short in pancreatic cancer phase 3

Fiercebiotech | August 21, 2019

NuCana pulled off its 100 million dollars Nasdaq debut on the promise of its reformulated cancer meds, including a version of Eli Lillys Gemzar the company hopes will replace the veteran chemotherapy in some cancers. But that drug has hit a snag in its lead indication- pancreatic cancer. The cancer center carrying out a phase 3 study in metastatic pancreatic cancer has stopped enrolling patients after an independent committee deemed the trial unlikely to succeed. The site had recruited 200 patients to compare Gemzar to NuCana’s reformulated version, Acelarin. Of those 200 patients, 25 have received or are still undergoing treatment with Acelarin. In a planned futility analysis, the committee concluded that the study was not likely to hit its primary objective: beating Gemzar at lengthening patients' lives by at least 42%. The investigators will follow the 25 patients who have already been dosed and will allow patients who are doing well on Acelarin to continue treatment, NuCana said in a statement. Daniel Palmer, the chief investigator of the study, pointed out the difficulty of treating pancreatic cancer which is often a death sentence as well as “unfavorable prognostic factors” that disproportionately affected patients receiving Acelarin in the study.

Spotlight

Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, better known as PMSF, is a small molecule serine protease inhibitor used to prevent unwanted proteolysis. 

Spotlight

Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, better known as PMSF, is a small molecule serine protease inhibitor used to prevent unwanted proteolysis. 

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Bio-Techne | February 15, 2023

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