On June 22, 2016 Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation (NASDAQ:NYMX) reported results from the Company’s 7 year prospective placebo controlled double blind studies of treatment of 995 U.S. men with the Company’s lead drug fexapotide (Press release, Nymox, JUN 22, 2016, View Source;fvtc=4&fvtv=6907 [SID:1234513492]). Men who received fexapotide showed a major reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer, compared to placebo and compared to the known and expected normal incidence of the disease.
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The men in the study received fexapotide or placebo for the treatment of their prostate enlargement (BPH) symptoms. All men were thoroughly evaluated to exclude any prostate cancer prior to qualifying for enrollment in the studies. The participants were enrolled at over 70 top well-known U.S. urological investigational centers, and were followed for up to 7 years (median of 5 years) after treatment. The study analyzed all cases of prostate cancer that were subsequently diagnosed. The expected rate of new prostate cancer in the U.S. general male population in this age group is in the 5-20% range after 7 years. In the BPH population in published large trials of drugs for the prevention of prostate cancer, the incidence of new prostate cancer cases after 4-7 years has been reported in major studies to be 20-25%. The new data analysis from the Nymox fexapotide study has now shown the statistically significant and very low incidence of 1.3% for prostate cancer in this comparable fexapotide treated BPH population.
"These results are astonishingly good. Other drug treatments and controls tested in similar studies have been associated with a prostate cancer incidence 10 times higher than the results reported today by Nymox for fexapotide. This is truly good news. The data strongly indicate that in addition to benefit for BPH symptoms, fexapotide will also help to prevent cancer in these patients," said Dr. Ronald Tutrone, one of the Principal Investigators in the Nymox Fexapotide Prostate Cancer and BPH studies. Dr. Tutrone is Chief of the Division of Urology, Greater Baltimore Medical Center; Medical Director of Chesapeake Urology Research Associates and Chairman of the William E. Kalhert Endowment for Urological Research.
Fexapotide is a safe and painless single injection treatment given in the urologist’s office. The drug is in Phase 3 for BPH and Phase 2 for prostate cancer. It has been tested in over 1700 drug and placebo treatment administrations in the U.S. As a treatment for BPH, fexapotide shows long-term efficacy without the safety risk and side effect concerns or added cancer risk associated with currently approved BPH treatments. As a treatment for prostate cancer fexapotide was found to lead to highly statistically significant reduction in disease progression in a large 147 patient multi-year Phase 2 study of U.S. men with low grade cancer.
Dr. Paul Averback, CEO of Nymox said, "The new results now add a third dimension to fexapotide utility: clinical prostate cancer prevention. The drug has now demonstrated statistically significant prospective long-term outcome data showing dramatic reduction in the incidence of newly diagnosed prostate cancer after minimal BPH treatment with fexapotide. Nymox announced in Q3 last year that it will seek regulatory approvals for fexapotide for BPH based on the long-term BPH safety and efficacy data announced Q3 last year. We believe that the exciting new prostate cancer prevention results reported today will add to the evidence in fexapotide’s favor towards our goal of widespread major benefit for middle-aged and elderly men."
Dr. Averback added, "We are extremely grateful to the thousands of people who have been part of these clinical trials. The Company also thankfully acknowledges our shareholders for their long-term commitment that supports these studies."