BERWYN, Pa.– Panavance Therapeutics Inc. (“Panavance”) announces an abstract and poster at ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, January 20-22, 2022, in San Francisco, “A Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of GP-2250 in combination with gemcitabine for advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma,” (authors: Dr. Anup Kasi and Dr. José Iglesias, Poster TPS620). The open-label trial for patients with advanced/metastatic pancreatic cancer who were previously treated with FOLFIRINOX is evaluating the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of GP-2250 together with gemcitabine.
GP-2250 is a broadly active, tumor cell selective, small molecular weight, metabolic enzyme inhibitor with a first-in-class mechanism of action that limits aerobic glycolysis and Krebs cycle by inhibiting GAPDH, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and the tumor promotor NFkB. In preclinical research, it suppresses cancer cells largely by disrupting their energy metabolism—bringing about cancer cell death.
The ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium abstract and poster describe a dose-escalation trial of GP-2250 (NCT03854110) in combination with gemcitabine in the 2nd-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who have progressed on or after FOLFIRINOX in the 1st-line treatment of the disease. The primary endpoints in the trial are the maximum tolerated dose (“MTD”) and recommended Phase 3 dose.
“To date, we believe our GP-2250 has demonstrated strong effectiveness and safety in extensive preclinical studies, and its early clinical results have been encouraging for its initial indication for pancreatic cancer,” said Greg Bosch, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Panavance. “We’re pleased with the progress of our ongoing Phase 1 trial which is currently at the 6th dose level with more than 20 patients enrolled thus far.”
While Panavance’s initial area of focus is on pancreatic cancer, the company is conducting additional preclinical research in several other tumor types and expects to progress clinical development of GP-2250 for the treatment of other cancers.
