SAN FRANCISCO and ILLKIRCH, France, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/
— Jennerex, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company
focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class
targeted oncolytic products for cancer, and Transgene (NYSE
Euronext Paris: FR0005175080), a bio-pharmaceutical company
specialized in the development of immunotherapeutic products, today
announced that enrollment and treatment of patients in a Phase 1b
clinical trial has been initiated to evaluate JX-594 in patients
with advanced metastatic, refractory colorectal cancer (CRC).
The study will be performed in Korea, where Green Cross
Corporation holds market rights for JX-594.
“The initiation of this study marks an important step forward in
the development of JX-594 for a second major oncology indication.
With a significant and growing population of colorectal cancer
patients who have failed existing therapies or for whom existing
therapies are not appropriate, we believe JX-594, with its unique
mechanisms of action and demonstrated tumor response in preclinical
models of CRC, may provide an important new therapeutic modality
for patients around the world suffering from this devastating
cancer,” said David H. Kirn, M.D., president and chief executive
officer of Jennerex.
“The study design for this trial builds on our joint experience
and positive clinical results using JX-594 to treat liver cancer
and represents an important milestone which is our ability to
administer multiple doses intravenously,” added Philippe Archinard,
chairman and chief executive officer of Transgene.
The intravenous, open-label, multi-dose-escalation study is
being conducted at Samsung Cancer Center in Seoul, South Korea. The
study will enroll up to 15 patients with metastatic colorectal
cancer that have failed both oxaliplatin-based and irinotecan-based
chemotherapy regimens, and whose tumors harbor ras mutations and/
or are refractory to Erbitux therapy. Patients en
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