Chemokine Therapeutics Receives Approval From Health Canada To Commence Phase II Study In Liver Cancer

Main Category: Liver Disease / Hepatitis
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 06 Mar 2008 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Chemokine Therapeutics Corp. (the "Company") (TSX:CTI)(OTCBB:CHKT), a biotechnology company developing chemokine-based therapies to treat cancer, blood disorders, and vascular diseases, announced that it has received a No Objection Letter from Health Canada allowing the Company to begin a Phase II study in liver cancer with its lead drug candidate, CTCE-9908. The Company also recently received FDA approval for the study.

The Phase II trial will be an international, multi-centre, randomized, controlled, open label study assessing the efficacy and safety of CTCE-9908 that will include up to 123 patients. The primary end point will be to determine the response rate of tumours in patients with liver cancer treated with CTCE-9908 following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (a therapy used for non-resectable liver cancer) compared with patients receiving TACE alone. The Company will follow patients to also determine progression free survival, overall survival, as well as various tumour and angiogenic factors.

"We are pleased that Health Canada has agreed to allow the Company to expand its Phase II clinical trial to include sites in Canada which will allow access to this therapy by Canadian patients suffering from liver cancer," said Walter Korz, Vice President of Drug Development.

About Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Approximately 500,000 cases of liver cancer are diagnosed each year and it is the third cause of cancer-related deaths. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, occurs more often in males than females and is most common in people over 50 years of age. The reported prognosis for advanced liver cancer is poor with most patients dying within a year regardless of the treatment they receive. Liver cancer represents a significant unmet medical need.

About CTCE-9908

CTCE-9908 is a peptide analog of the chemokine SDF-1, and an antagonist of its receptor, CXCR4. SDF-1 is the only known naturally occurring chemokine that binds to CXCR4, which is present on many cancer cells as well as cancer support cells such as cells making up new blood vessels. This binding process is believed to be critical in the SDF-1 induced migratory processes. The anti-migratory property of CTCE-9908 is pivotal in not only reducing recruitment of support cells that allow survival and growth of the primary tumor, but also metastasis (or spread) of cancer cells to distant locations in the body, where they form secondary tumors. Approximately 90% of cancer deaths are due to metastasis and disease progression. We believe that CTCE-9908 has the potential to shrink the primary tumor and delay the occurrence of new tumors due to its anti-angiogenic properties and anti-metastatic activity.

About Chemokine Therapeutics Corp. (TSX:CTI)(OTCBB:CHKT)

Chemokine Therapeutics is a product-focused biotechnology company developing drug candidates in the field of chemokines. Chemokines are a class of signaling proteins that play a critical role in the growth, differentiation, and maturation of cells necessary for fighting infection as well as tissue repair and regeneration. Chemokines also have an important role in cancer metastasis and growth. Chemokine Therapeutics is a leader in research in the field of chemokines and has several products in various stages of development.

Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this document regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. For this purpose, any statements that are contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "will", "should", "expects", "projects", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, future circumstances, or events to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, those associated with the success of research and development programs, the Company's ability to raise additional funding and the potential dilutive effects thereof, the regulatory approval process, competition, securing and maintaining corporate alliances, market acceptance of the Company's products, the availability of government and insurance reimbursements for the Company's products, the strength of intellectual property, reliance on subcontractors and key personnel and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's public disclosure documents and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Chemokine Therapeutics Corp.

• Additional
• References
• Citations