On November 18, 2014 CytRx Corporation reported that the Company has received notice from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its clinical trials for aldoxorubicin have been placed on partial clinical hold (Press release CytRx, NOV 18, 2014, View Source [SID:1234500976]). All currently enrolled patients can continue receiving aldoxorubicin treatment, or comparator drugs, as per study protocols, but no new patients can be enrolled until the clinical hold is lifted.

The FDA has indicated that the partial clinical hold is due to the reported death of a patient with advanced-stage cancer who did not qualify to participate in any of the ongoing aldoxorubicin clinical trials, but had received aldoxorubicin under the Company’s expanded access (“compassionate use”) program. At the FDA’s request, the Company will amend all aldoxorubicin study protocols to include an appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria, an additional patient screening assessment and an evaluation of serum electrolytes prior to aldoxorubicin administration. CytRx is working diligently in collaboration with the FDA to seek the release of the clinical hold and resume enrollment in its clinical studies as expeditiously as possible.

CytRx currently believes that the partial hold issue will be expeditiously resolved and that enrollment rates and timelines for its ongoing trials will remain materially unchanged. The Company currently expects to announce preliminary results from the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of aldoxorubicin in Kaposi’s Sarcoma in the second quarter of 2015 and preliminary results from the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of aldoxorubicin in glioblastoma multiforme in the first half of 2015. CytRx remains committed to completing enrollment of its ongoing pivotal global Phase 3 trial in second-line soft tissue sarcoma by the end of 2015.