Friday, August 29, 2008

Curis and Genentech hit ovarian cancer with Phase 2 drug tests

By Mass High Tech Staff

Cambridge biotech Curis Inc. and collaborator Genentech Inc. have announced plans to start a Phase 2 clinical trial of its Hedgehog antagonist drug, GDC-0449, to treat ovarian cancer.

The oral drug is a small molecule treatment that targets the Hedgehog protein pathway to inhibit the progression of cancer. Curis officials said that GDC-0449 is expected to operate as a maintenance treatment for patients in second or third remission of ovarian cancer.

Biotech giant Genentech, of South San Francisco, intends to test 100 patients in second or third remission from ovarian cancer. The goal of the trial is for the drug to lead to progression-free survival, with the secondary goal indicating the amount of Hedgehog protein in tissue.

The drug already is being tested in Phase 2 clinical trials for colon cancer. The trials have prompted Genentech to pay Curis $3 million in milestone fees, in accordance with an earlier deal.

The Hedgehog inhibitor will likely be tested in additional Phase 2 clinical trials of advanced basal cell carcinoma in the second half of the year, according to Dan Pesseri, president and CEO of Curis.

Earlier this week, Curis announced it had begun treating its first patient in Phase 1 clinical trials of its CUDC-101 drug that blocks the cancer cell signaling network that stimulates tumor cell growth.

Curis reported a net loss of $7 million for 2007 on revenue of $16.4 million.