Oct 01, 2003 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- Progen Industries Ltd [PGLAF] has highlighted some encouraging clinical data for its lead cancer compound, PI-88, including a partial response and some disease stabilizations for three months to over two years in patients suffering from advanced cancers for which there are few or no effective treatment options.
PI-88 is currently undergoing an international phase I/II clinical trial program in the US, Australia and Taiwan under an IND application with the FDA.
Antiangiogenic drugs, which inhibit the growth of blood vessels that feed cancer tumors, have received much interest recently in the international biotechnology and pharmaceutical community after the successful release of phase III data for Avastin Genentech's [DNA] lead antiangiogenesis compound.
Avastin, which targets Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) has shown to prolong patient's survival in colorectal cancer by an average of 4.7 months.
"Progen's lead drug candidate PI-88 also targets VEGF along with other cancer-related growth factors such as b-FGF as well as heparanase, a degrading enzyme associated with angiogenesis and metastasis," said Dr Rob Don, vice president for R&D, in a press statement.
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