We know that, VAL-083 is a bi-functional alkylating agent; inhibit U251 and SF188 cell growth in monolayer better than TMZ and caused apoptosis.
DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (OTCQB: DMPI), a clinical-stage oncology company, today announced the presentation of promising new data supporting the activity of its lead drug compound, VAL-083, in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the AACR's New Horizons in Cancer Research: Harnessing Breakthroughs – Targeting Cures. The conference takes place October 9th to 12th in Pudong, Shanghai.
"The data presented today showed that VAL-083 is superior to cisplatin in both tumor models that are sensitive and resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and has synergistic effect in combination with cisplatin," said Jeffrey Bacha, president and CEO of DelMar Pharmaceuticals. "This data suggests important clinical and market potential of VAL-083 in non-small cell lung cancer."
DelMar's lead clinical compound, VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) is a first-in-class alkylating agent with a novel cytotoxic mechanism distinct from other alkylating agents used in the treatment of cancer.
In historical studies sponsored by the National Cancer Institute in the United States, VAL-083 exhibited clinical activity against a range of tumor types including CNS tumors, solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. VAL-083 is approved in China for the treatment ofchronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and lung cancer (Approval No. Guoyao Zhunzi H45021133; manufactured by Guangxi Wuzhou Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd.)
NSCLC is usually treated with either tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (e.g. gefitinib) or platinum-based regimens (e.g. cisplatin). TKIs have resulted in vastly improved outcomes for patients with EGFR mutations; however, TKI resistance has emerged as a significant unmet medical need, and long-term prognosis with platinum-based therapies is poor. Compared to other countries, Asian patients with NSCLC have a higher incidence of EGFR mutations (up to 60 percent; compared to 10-20 percent in Western populations) and are more susceptible to TKI resistance.
Additionally, NSCLC patients have a high incidence of brain metastases, which is associated with a poor prognosis. The median overall survival time for patients with stage IV NSCLC is four months, while one-year and five-year survival is less than 16 percent and 2 percent, respectively. VAL-083 can cross the blood-brain barrier and is currently being evaluated in the United States in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat the most common form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
