Published on September 29, 2012 at 5:14 AM
Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA) today announced results from
an interim analysis of the Phase 2b portion of the GALAXY trial, a
global, randomized, multi-center Phase 2b/3 study designed to evaluate
the efficacy and safety of the Company's lead Hsp90 inhibitor,
ganetespib, as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC). The results showed good tolerability for the combination
of ganetespib (G) and docetaxel (D), as well as meaningful improvements
in overall survival (OS) in adenocarcinoma patients receiving docetaxel
plus ganetespib compared to those receiving docetaxel alone. The results
were presented by Suresh Ramalingam, MD, Professor, Hematology & Medical
Oncology, and Director, Translational Thoracic Malignancies Program, of
the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, in a poster session at
the European Society for Medical Oncology 2012 Congress in Vienna,
Austria. A copy of the poster is available at http://www.syntapharma.com/documents/Ganetespib_GALAXY_ESMO_2012_Poster.pdf.
The GALAXY trial is based on a two-stage, operationally adaptive design. The first-stage, randomized, open-label, 240-patient Phase 2b portion of the trial is enrolling Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients who have progressed following one prior line of therapy, and is designed to identify the patient population, defined by biomarker or other disease characteristic, for advancement into the Phase 3 portion of the trial.
An interim analysis was planned for when approximately 80% of the target 240 adenocarcinoma patients had been enrolled. A total of 187 patients were enrolled at the time of analysis, of which 172 patients had been entered into the clinical database at the time of data cutoff.
"The preliminary results from GALAXY indicate that the addition of ganetespib to docetaxel is well tolerated and may improve outcomes in patients compared to docetaxel alone," said Dr. Ramalingam, a Principal Investigator of the study. "This includes promising improvements in survival seen across the broad adenocarcinoma population as well as in key predefined patient populations. A well-tolerated combination regimen that extends survival associated with salvage therapy in NSCLC will meet a much awaited need to improve the current standard of care."
Targeting the dependence of cancer cell growth and proliferation pathways on the Hsp90 chaperone represents a new way to interrupt cancer cell signaling and reduce tumor aggressiveness. Hsp90 inhibition by ganetespib simultaneously inhibits multiple critical cancer-promoting pathways, including pathways responsible for tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and resistance to conventional therapies.
The GALAXY trial is based on a two-stage, operationally adaptive design. The first-stage, randomized, open-label, 240-patient Phase 2b portion of the trial is enrolling Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients who have progressed following one prior line of therapy, and is designed to identify the patient population, defined by biomarker or other disease characteristic, for advancement into the Phase 3 portion of the trial.
An interim analysis was planned for when approximately 80% of the target 240 adenocarcinoma patients had been enrolled. A total of 187 patients were enrolled at the time of analysis, of which 172 patients had been entered into the clinical database at the time of data cutoff.
"The preliminary results from GALAXY indicate that the addition of ganetespib to docetaxel is well tolerated and may improve outcomes in patients compared to docetaxel alone," said Dr. Ramalingam, a Principal Investigator of the study. "This includes promising improvements in survival seen across the broad adenocarcinoma population as well as in key predefined patient populations. A well-tolerated combination regimen that extends survival associated with salvage therapy in NSCLC will meet a much awaited need to improve the current standard of care."
Targeting the dependence of cancer cell growth and proliferation pathways on the Hsp90 chaperone represents a new way to interrupt cancer cell signaling and reduce tumor aggressiveness. Hsp90 inhibition by ganetespib simultaneously inhibits multiple critical cancer-promoting pathways, including pathways responsible for tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and resistance to conventional therapies.
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