SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACT BIOTECH, Inc today announced that it will present encouraging results on the telatinib Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with advanced stomach cancer. Data from the front-line treatment study will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2011 Annual Meeting taking place June 3 through June 7, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois.
| Poster Presentation: Sat, June 4 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Abstract #4122 |
| Poster Board: #37H |
Clinical and pharmacodynamic (PD) results of TEL0805 trial: A phase II study of telatinib (TEL) in combination with capecitabine (X) and cisplatin (P) as first-line treatment in patients (pts) with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.
ASCO abstracts are available for review online at www.asco.org.
About Telatinib
Telatinib, a new chemical entity, is a highly selective and potent, oral antiangiogenic drug. Its unique mechanism of action specifically inhibits cell surface receptors critical for tumor growth: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), both of which are involved in angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation needed for tumor growth. Telatinib, because of its highly selective nature, only interferes with angiogenesis and is distinguished from tyrosine kinase inhibitor agents that block other targets as well as angiogenesis. Telatinib's specificity and lack of disruption of off-target pathways likely account for cancer patients' ability to tolerate treatment with telatinib in combination with chemotherapy for long periods of time without increasing toxicity of the chemotherapy. Telatinib was granted orphan drug status for stomach cancer in 2010.
About stomach cancer
Stomach, or gastric, cancer is diagnosed in nearly one million people globally each year and is responsible for 740,000 deaths globally each year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in the world. According to the NCI, in the U.S. alone, more than 21,000 people were diagnosed with stomach cancer and more than 10,500 died from the disease in 2010. Currently, more than 64,000 Americans are living with stomach cancer and studies have shown that the incidence of stomach cancer in younger patients is on the rise.
Stomach cancer is a very difficult cancer to treat since most cases are detected late (in the Americas and Europe), and once detected, the cancer has already spread and is usually fatal within a year. Most patients do not respond to standard chemotherapy treatment and 85-90 percent of stomach cancer patients have no targeted therapy options.
About ACT Biotech, Inc.
ACT Biotech is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of highly targeted, oral cancer drugs. ACT's lead product candidate is telatinib. Telatinib has shown encouraging antitumor activity in a broad clinical trial program as a single agent in colorectal, kidney, stomach and liver cancers. Based on the encouraging efficacy and safety profile to date in a Phase 2 chemotherapy combination trial, ACT is advancing telatinib for untreated stomach cancer patients in a Phase 3 study, expected to be initiated this year. In addition to telatinib, the company's product pipeline includes three other oncology candidates. ACT Biotech is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and backed by NGN Capital. To learn more about ACT Biotech and the company's pipeline of innovative medicines, visit www.actbiotech.com.