Updated Data On Reata's Two Clinical Candidates Presented At 2008 Annual Meeting Of The American Association Of Cancer Research

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 14 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the presentation of significant new preclinical data on its two clinical-stage compounds, berubicin hydrochloride (an anthracycline derivative formerly known as RTA 744) and RTA 402 (the lead agent in Reata's portfolio of Antioxidant Inflammation Modulators, or AIMs, also known as CDDO-Me).

On April 15, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas will present a poster entitled "CDDO-Me Ameliorates Lymphoproliferative Autoimmunity." The investigators demonstrated that RTA 402 prevented the development of lymphoproliferative autoimmunity in mice genetically engineered to develop the disease, which closely resembles human lupus. This disease results in early mortality by damaging various organ systems, including the lymphoid organs and kidneys. The study showed that RTA 402 was particularly effective in attenuating the development of renal disease. This new study builds on previous peer-reviewed publications indicating that RTA 402 and other AIMS have strong potential as agents to treat autoimmune diseases and organ failure caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. A Phase 2 study of RTA 402 in patients with diabetes-associated renal dysfunction is planned to begin shortly. Initial studies in patients with autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis) are planned for later in the year.

On April 13, researchers from Multimedica IRRCS in Milan, Italy, University of Insubria in Varese, Italy, and Dartmouth Medical School will present a poster entitled "Identification of Potent Novel Angioprevention Agents." This poster will demonstrate that RTA 402 inhibits the process by which tumors establish the blood supplies required for growth, invasion, and metastasis, known as angiogenesis. RTA 402 was shown to inhibit angiogenesis at very low concentrations in both cell lines and in animals. These results build on a body of previously published work demonstrating that RTA 402 and other AIMs have potent anti-angiogenic properties. In ongoing clinical studies of RTA 402 in cancer patients, a key biomarker of angiogenesis, VEGF, has been reduced, indicating that anti-angiogenic effects likely contribute to the drug's antitumor effects.

On April 14, researchers from The Burnham Institute for Medical Research and Columbia University will present a poster entitled "Apoptotic Activity and Mechanism of CDDO and Related Synthetic Triterpenoids in Prostate Cancer." This poster demonstrates that three different AIMs are effective at inducing programmed cell death, or apoptosis, in prostate cancer cells. The data suggest these agents employ a novel mechanism for their cytotoxic effects.

On April 15, researchers from MD Anderson will present two posters on Reata's Phase 2 drug for brain tumors, berubicin hydrochloride. These posters, entitled "Berubicin, a Brain Tumor Targeting Anthracycline: Discovery and Clinical Evaluation" and "Metabolite Pharmacokinetics of Berubicinol (BRB-ol), the 13-hydroxy metabolite of RTA 744 (berubicin(BRB)), a Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrating Anthracycline Active Against High Grade Glioma, in Phase 1/II Clinical Trials." These posters describe the discovery and early development of this novel agent. Additionally, they include updated clinical data on the Phase I trial of berubicin in patients with primary brain tumors. The drug has shown significant activity in this study including multiple Objective Responses, which are rare in this patient population. Berubicin is currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical testing in women whose breast cancer has metastasized to the brain.

About Reata

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on selecting and discovering promising early drug development opportunities and translating them into successful marketed drugs that target major unmet clinical needs in cancer, inflammation and neurodegenerative disease. The company's two lead programs are entering advanced clinical trials for deadly, late-stage cancers and proof of concept studies in inflammatory diseases. In parallel with its clinical development, Reata is advancing a breakthrough drug discovery platform using protein misfolding, identified as a key factor in cancer and neurodegenerative disease, to feed its pipeline of small molecule therapeutic candidates. Reata takes a new and different approach to biotechnology, managing its pipeline as a portfolio of opportunities that can be advanced on a single management and physical infrastructure, streamlining the route to human trials and approval.

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc.