Noxopharm Ltd (ASX:NOX)’s CEP-2 sarcoma trial assessing the combination of Veyonda® with chemotherapy drug doxorubicin has cleared its first safety milestone.
The CEP-2 trial Safety Steering Committee has reviewed safety data from the first cohort of patients in the trial. The 800 milligram dose was found to be safe and well tolerated, allowing enrolment to continue for the next patient cohort, who will be treated with an increased Veyonda dose of 1200 milligrams.
This Phase 1 trial is evaluating clinical drug candidate Veyonda® in combination with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin as a first-line treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.
The trial is underway in several prestigious hospitals in the US, including the City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic with its two campuses; the original hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, and the campus in Florida, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Treatment addresses often-fatal cancer group
“It is pleasing to see that the CEP-2 trial has passed its first safety milestone with this positive data review,” Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said.
“We appreciate the contributions the eminent clinicians at our trial sites are making towards our goal of developing an effective treatment for this often-fatal group of cancers.”
About 30 patients in the United States with a range of soft tissue sarcomas are being enrolled to be treated with the Veyonda/doxorubicin combination as a first-line treatment.
Soft tissue sarcomas tend to be very aggressive cancers. Up to 50% of high-grade sarcoma patients develop metastases and die within 12 months. They are defined as a rare cancer group, with fewer than 20,000 new cases diagnosed in the US in 2021.