BiPar Sciences Expands Phase 2 Clinical Trials Of BSI-201, A Novel DNA Repair Inhibitor, In Ovarian Cancer
May 9, 2008
BiPar Sciences, Inc.
announced the expansion of Phase 2 clinical trial programs for its lead
product, BSI-201, in ovarian cancer. This is the third major clinical trial
of BSI-201 that BiPar has launched in the past 6 months, expanding on
on going trials in breast and brain cancer.
The company is evaluating BSI-201, the first poly ADP-ribose polymerase
(PARP) inhibitor in its DNA repair portfolio, as a monotherapy for patients
whose ovarian cancer is linked to a hereditary genetic defect. Clinicians
at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center will enroll patients who have a
mutation in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
“We believe BSI-201 holds great promise as a targeted therapy in this
difficult-to-treat type of ovarian cancer,” said Carol Aghajanian, M.D.,
co- principal investigator and chief of the gynecologic medical oncology
service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “BRCA-negative patients
are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer because BRCA plays a key
role in repairing DNA errors that lead to tumor formation.”
Ovarian cancer strikes more than 21,000 women a year in the United
States and is one of the most common causes of cancer death in women,
killing more than 15,000 annually in the United States. Patients with the
hereditable BRCA- negative form of the disease account for about 15 percent
of the patient population. Women with defective BRCA genes are also at
considerably higher risk of breast cancer.
“We have identified a number of important types of cancer where PARP
plays a crucial role in tumor growth, and we believe that BRCA-negative
ovarian cancer represents another excellent target for BSI-201,” said Barry
Sherman, M.D., BiPar’s Executive Vice President of Development. “We will
soon have patients enrolled in four separate Phase 2 trials of BSI-201,
reflecting the breadth of tumor types that could be sensitive to the drug.”
The company is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial of BSI-201 in
triple- negative breast cancer and is collaborating with the New Approaches
to Brain Tumor Therapy (NABTT) consortium, a National Cancer
Institute-funded research group, to test BSI-201 in glioblastoma multiforme
(GBM), the most common brain cancer in adults. An additional trial in
uterine cancer is expected to begin enrollment in the coming weeks. The
company also plans to present data from its Phase 1 trials of BSI-201 in
solid tumors at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
that begins later this month in Chicago.
About BiPar Sciences
BiPar Sciences is a drug development company with a therapeutic focus
on exploring novel mechanisms of action in oncology. The lead development
program is based on DNA repair, specifically with poly ADP-ribose
polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The lead product within that program is
BSI-201, a platform drug with the potential to be a superior new treatment
across a range of tumor types, both as monotherapy and in combination with
chemotherapy. The company is currently testing BSI-201 in a range of Phase
2 trials in breast, brain and ovarian cancer.
BiPar Sciences, Inc.
http://www.biparsciences.com
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