Prescient Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:PTX) has received a notice of allowance for a new patent covering its lead clinical compound PTX-200 for the treatment of ovarian cancer in the U.S.
The new patent adds to Prescient’s broad patent estate and provides the company with intellectual property protection covering its lead compound PTX-200.
PTX-200 blocks an important tumour survival pathway known as Akt, which plays a key role in the development of many cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer, as well as leukemia.
How Prescient drugs work
The American Cancer Society estimates 22,240 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018 in the US.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates over 1,600 Australian women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018.
PTX-200 currently in three clinical trials
Unfortunately, ovarian cancer often becomes resistant to first line therapy of carboplatin, and once it does, there are very few treatment options for patients.
Prescient is seeking to reverse treatment resistance for these women by administering PTX-200 to block the Akt pathway that contributes to resistance, in combination with carboplatin.
This current Phase 1b trial is being undertaken at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida under the leadership of Dr Robert Wenham, chair of the department of gynecologic oncology.