On February 27, 2023 Cantex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative therapies for cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed Cantex’s Investigational New Drug application and issued a "Study May Proceed" letter for Cantex’s Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety and therapeutic effect of azeliragon in patients with newly diagnosed unmethylated glioblastoma treated with standard of care radiation therapy (Press release, Cantex, FEB 27, 2023, View Source [SID1234627778]). Azeliragon was recently granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of glioblastoma.
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"We are very pleased to have received this favorable response from the FDA enabling Cantex to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of azeliragon for the treatment of glioblastoma," commented Stephen G. Marcus, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Cantex. "Today’s news significantly advances Cantex’s azeliragon development program. We look forward to soon commencing enrollment in this trial given the urgent need for novel therapies that can better address this devastating disease."
Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain cancer, with approximately 13,000 cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year. It is a highly malignant brain tumor for which current therapeutic options provide a limited life extension benefit. The median survival after a glioblastoma diagnosis is 15-18 months and 5-year survival is less than 10%. Given this prognosis, new treatments of glioblastoma are urgently needed.
Azeliragon is an orally administered small molecule, taken once daily, that inhibits interactions of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (known as RAGE) with certain ligands, including HMGB1 and S100 proteins in the glioblastoma microenvironment. By preventing interaction of RAGE with these ligands, azeliragon may inhibit glioblastoma and overcome its resistance to effective treatment. Cantex is also developing azeliragon for the treatment of other major cancers not adequately addressed by current treatments where RAGE has been implicated in disease progression and in complications of cancer treatment.
Dr. Marcus continued: "The Phase 2 trial of azeliragon in glioblastoma is one of several promising clinical programs we continue to advance with azeliragon to treat cancer and other diseases where RAGE is implicated. Additional azeliragon indications include pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and cancers such as lung cancer and breast cancer that have metastasized to the brain. These programs highlight the versatility of azeliragon and our commitment to develop new treatment options for these cancers. We expect significant progress on these clinical trials during 2023 and 2024."
About Azeliragon
Azeliragon, previously known as TTP488, is an orally active, small molecule, antagonist of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) licensed by Cantex from vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VTVT). vTv Therapeutics discovered azeliragon and carried out phase 3 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease. Although these trials did not demonstrate efficacy in Alzheimer’s disease, clinical safety data from these trials, involving over 2000 patients dosed for periods up to 18 months, indicate that azeliragon is very well tolerated. A broad range of evidence suggests that RAGE—ligand interactions play a critical role in cancer and its complications as well as in a range of inflammatory diseases.