BioLineRx Ltd (BLRX)

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BioLineRx lead product candidate beats cytarabine in myeloid leukemia study
Dec. 5, 2016 10:18 AM ET|About: BioLineRx Ltd. (BLRX)|By: Douglas W. House, SA News Editor

Results from a Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating BioLineRx's (BLRX +4.1%) lead product candidate BL-8040 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) showed a 38% complete remission rate, superior to the historical rate for chemo agent cytarabine. The data were presented at the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in San Diego.

The study enrolled 45 heavily pretreated AML patients who received BL-8040 monotherapy on days 1 and 2 and BL-8040 plus cytarabine on days 3-7. The complete remission rate was 38% (n=15/39) in those receiving at least 1.0 mg/kg of BL-87040 (n=39), much better than cytarabine monotherapy's historical response rate of ~20%.

BL-8040 is a synthetic peptide that binds to a protein found on the surface of cancer cells called CXCR4, a chemokine receptor that that plays a key role in tumor growth and survival. CXCR4 is overexpressed in more than 70% of human cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Its development is ongoing.