Cyclacel Presents New Phase 2 Data of Sapacitabine for MDS

We know that, Sapacitabine is an oral nucleoside analog prodrug that acts through a dual mechanism. The compound interferes with DNA synthesis by causing single-strand DNA breaks and induces arrest of the cell division cycle at G2 phase. Both sapacitabine and its major metabolite, CNDAC, have demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity in both blood and solid tumors in preclinical studies. In a liver metastatic mouse model, sapacitabine was shown to be superior to gemcitabine (Gemzar; Lilly) or 5-FU, two widely used nucleoside analogs, in delaying the onset and growth of liver metastasis.

Cyclacel has initiated a number of clinical trials to evaluate sapacitabine in both solid and hematological tumors laying the foundation for future Phase 2 studies and combination studies with other anti-cancer agents. Three Phase 1 studies have been completed, which evaluated safety and pharmacokinetics of a variety of dosing schedules in approximately 120 patients with solid tumors. Sapacitabine is currently being evaluated in two Phase 2 trials in patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemias (AML).

Now Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced new data from an ongoing, multicenter, Phase 2 randomized trial of oral sapacitabine capsules in older patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) after treatment failure of front-line hypomethylating agents, such as azacitidine or decitabine.

Median overall survival to date for all patients is 252 days or approximately 8.4 months. Data were presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

The open-label, multi-center, Phase 2 study randomized 63 patients aged 60 years or older with MDS of intermediate-2 or high-risk classification by the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) at study entry to receive sapacitabine every 4 weeks on one of the 3 dosing schedules: 200 mg twice daily for 7 days (Arm G), 300 mg once daily for 7 days (Arm H), or 100 mg once daily for 5 days per week for 2 weeks (Arm I).

The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is 1-year survival with the objective of identifying a dosing schedule that produces a better 1-year survival rate in the event that all three dosing schedules are active. All patients in the study progressed after receiving azacitidine, decitabine, or both agents.

The median overall survival for each arm was reported as follows: 240 days for Arm G; 290 days  for Arm H; and 153 days for Arm I. The median overall survival for all three arms is 252 days. Complete remissions (CRs) and major hematologic improvement (HI) in platelet counts or neutrophils, secondary efficacy endpoints in the study, were observed on all 3 dosing schedules. The 30-day mortality from all causes is 5%.

Ref : http://investor.cyclacel.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=679541