Hier wieder einmal News:
ArQule Initiates Phase 1 Trial with ARQ 171, Provides Enrollment Update on ARQ 501 and ARQ 197 Wednesday December 6, 7:00 am ET
WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL - News) today announced the enrollment and successful dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical trial with ARQ 171, a second-generation compound generated through its Activated Checkpoint Therapy(SM) (ACT) program. Phase 1 data from this compound, together with Phase 2 data from the ongoing ARQ 501 program, will form the basis of a future licensing decision by Hoffmann-La Roche (Roche). As previously communicated, Roche has an option to ArQule's E2F-1 program in the field of cancer therapy.
ADVERTISEMENT ArQule also updated progress in its other clinical programs. These include three Phase 2 trials with the first-generation E2F-1 compound, ARQ 501, as monotherapy in leiomyosarcoma and head and neck cancer, and as combination therapy with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer, as well as a Phase 1 trial with ARQ 197, a proprietary, orally administered small molecule inhibitor of the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase.
Phase 1 Trial With ARQ 171
The population in this open label, dose escalation trial will consist of patients with advanced solid tumors. The primary objective of the trial is to determine the safety, tolerability and maximum tolerated dose of ARQ 171. Secondary objectives are to determine the pharmacokinetic profile and to assess the preliminary anti-tumor activity of the compound.
"Initiation of Phase 1 clinical testing with ARQ 171 marks the achievement of a significant corporate milestone for this year," said Dr. Stephen A. Hill, president and chief executive officer of ArQule. "ARQ 171, which entered and completed GLP toxicology testing earlier this year, is the result of our biological insights into DNA damage response pathways and our capabilities in small molecule chemistry and intelligent drug design."
The first patient in the ARQ 171 trial was dosed at Premiere Oncology (Santa Monica, CA), where the principal investigator is Dr. Lee Rosen. Additional investigators and sites include Dr. Geoffrey Shapiro at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA) and Dr. Casey Cunningham at Mary Crowley Medical Research Center (Dallas, TX). Each of these investigators has been involved with ArQule's development of compounds that target the E2F-1 biological pathway to treat cancer.
ARQ 501 Program Update
With respect to the Phase 2 clinical program with ARQ 501, patient enrollment has been completed in the leiomyosarcoma trial. In the head and neck cancer trial, approximately 45 patients have been enrolled toward the total target number of 53 patients, and in the pancreatic cancer trial, approximately 55 patients have been enrolled toward the total target number of 66 patients. Assuming that recruitment continues at the current levels, ArQule anticipates completion of recruitment into its Phase 2 program (i.e. all three studies) before year-end. Based on the protocol-defined end-points, initial safety and efficacy data from these studies would be available by the middle of 2007.
ARQ 197 - c-Met Inhibitor Program Update
Patient recruitment is also continuing in the Phase 1 dose escalation trial with ARQ 197. Thirty-six patients have been treated with ARQ 197, at doses ranging from 20 to 360 milligrams per day. Based on current estimates, ArQule anticipates choosing a recommended Phase 2 dose for this compound by year-end and beginning initial Phase 2 exploration in early 2007.
Preliminary data from this trial was recently presented at the EORTC-NCI-AACR meeting in Prague. These data included highly encouraging signs of activity with minimal side effects.
"I am delighted with the rapid progress to date for our c-Met inhibitor," said Dr. Hill. "The level of interest in this pathway is increasing rapidly, and ARQ 197 has the potential to be the leading clinical stage compound against this target."
Ist explodiert, im Moment mit extrem hohes Volumen, kann das ganze aber nicht einschätzen, da Arqule in der Vergangenheit doch immer Spielball der Shorties war und vom Markt eigentlich nicht so beachtet wurde. Wär natürlich schön wenn der Bekanntheitsgrad sowie die Anerkennung des bisher geleisteten vom breiten Markt anerkannt würde. We will see, bin immer noch long und die Aussichten sind immer noch nach der Roadmap intakt.
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