Data Show SuperGen's MP-470 Is Safe In Humans

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;  Biology / Biochemistry;  Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 16 Apr 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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SuperGen Inc. (Nasdaq: SUPG), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors and hematological malignancies, announced as part of a series of presentations at the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting that MP-470, its clinical-stage multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor and Rad51 suppressor, is bioavailable and safe in humans (Abstract No. 4083).

Entitled, "MP-470, a potent oral Rad51 suppressor is safe and tolerable in first-in-human study," the poster highlights data indicating that MP-470 can be safely administered in doses of up to 900 mg per day. Additionally, it was found that Rad51 expression is modulated in a dose-dependent manner. This is consistent with preclinical studies where MP-470 was shown to sensitize cancer cells to DNA damaging agents and radiation therapy through the suppression of Rad51, which is responsible for repair of DNA double strand breaks.

"This is the first Rad51 suppressor that has advanced into Phase 1 clinical trials," said Dr. Gregory Berk, SuperGen's Chief Medical Officer. "These results support the potential use of MP-470 in combination with DNA-damaging chemotherapies as a direct result of its ability to inhibit the repair of double stranded DNA breaks. The lack of toxicity observed to date with MP-470 further supports this clinical development strategy. Later this year, we expect to report preliminary data on a recently initiated, multi-arm Phase 1b clinical trial of MP-470 in combination with standard chemotherapy regimens."

Interim data from the ongoing MP-470 Phase 1 trial was presented. Ten patients with refractory solid tumors participated in this accelerated titration study. Doses were started at 100 mg orally once per day and escalated to 900 mg. No dose limiting toxicities were observed.

Copies of the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting poster presentations will be available in the pipeline section of SuperGen's Web site http://www.supergen.com.

About SuperGen

Based in Dublin, Calif., SuperGen, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. SuperGen is developing a number of therapeutic anticancer products focused on kinase and cell signaling inhibitors and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. For more information about SuperGen, please visit http://www.supergen.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are typically preceded by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "will," "may," "should," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in these statements. Factors that might cause the company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability to discover, develop and move target compounds into clinical development and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its most recently filed Form 10-Q and 10-K. SuperGen, Inc. undertakes no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results.

SuperGen Inc.
http://www.supergen.com