On November 5, 2015 Epizyme, Inc. (NASDAQ:EPZM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company creating novel epigenetic therapies for cancer patients, reported that data from the ongoing phase 1 study of tazemetostat (EPZ-6438) will be presented during the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Meeting being held December 5 – 8 in Orlando, Florida (Press release, Epizyme, NOV 5, 2015, View Source [SID:1234508017]). Tazemetostat is a first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor that is currently being studied in relapsed or refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and solid tumors. The company will also present an update on its phase 1 study of pinometostat (EPZ-5676) in adult patients with MLL-r acute leukemia and a preliminary report on its phase 1 study of pinometostat in children with MLL-r acute leukemia.
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"Tazemetostat has demonstrated significant potential in early clinical testing in patients with NHL," said Peter Ho, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Epizyme. "Based on the clinical activity and acceptable safety profile observed with tazemetostat, we believe there is potential for tazemetostat to treat both late-stage NHL as a monotherapy and also earlier-stage disease as a combination therapy. We are continuing to advance tazemetostat in a registration-supporting Phase 2 study in five subtypes of relapsed or refractory NHL, and look forward to beginning investigation of tazemetostat as a combination agent in patients with NHL in the first half of 2016."
Planned presentations:
Phase 1 Study of Tazemetostat (EPZ-6438), an Inhibitor of Enhancer of Zeste-Homolog 2 (EZH2): Preliminary Safety and Activity in Relapsed or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) Patients
Speaker: Vincent Ribrag, M.D., Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Session title: 624. Lymphoma: Therapy with Biologic Agents, excluding Pre-Clinical Models: Biologic Agents in B Cell Lymphoma (Oral Session)
Presentation time: Monday, December 7, 2015 at 8:00am ET
A Phase 1 Study of the DOT1L Inhibitor Pinometostat, EPZ-5676, in Advanced Leukemia: Safety, Activity and Evidence of Target Inhibition
Presenter: Eytan M. Stein, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session title: Poster Session II
Presentation time: Sunday, December 6, 2015 from 6:00 – 8:00pm ET
Preliminary Report of the Phase 1 Study of the DOT1L Inhibitor Pinometostat (EPZ 5676) in Children with MLL-r Acute Leukemia: Safety, Exposure and Evidence of Target Inhibition
Presenter: Neerave Shukla, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session title: Poster Session III
Presentation time: Monday, December 7, 2015 from 6:00 – 8:00pm ET
About EZH2 in Cancer
EZH2 is a histone methyltransferase (HMT) that is increasingly understood to play a potentially oncogenic role in a number of cancers. These include Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, INI1-deficient cancers such as malignant rhabdoid tumors, epithelioid sarcomas and synovial sarcoma; and a range of other solid tumors.
About Tazemetostat
Epizyme is developing tazemetostat for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma patients and patients with INI1-deficient solid tumors. Tazemetostat is a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of EZH2 created by Epizyme using its proprietary product platform. In some human cancers, aberrant EZH2 enzyme activity results in misregulation of genes that control cell proliferation resulting in the rapid and unconstrained growth of tumor cells. Tazemetostat is the WHO International Non-Proprietary Name (INN) for compound EPZ-6438.
Additional information about this program, including clinical trial information, may be found here: View Source
About Pinometostat
Epizyme is developing pinometostat, a small molecule inhibitor of DOT1L created with Epizyme’s proprietary product platform, for the treatment of patients with acute leukemia in which the MLL gene is rearranged due to a chromosomal translocation (MLL-r). Due to these rearrangements, DOT1L is misregulated, resulting in the increased expression of genes causing leukemia. Pinometostat is the WHO International Non-Proprietary Name (INN) for compound EPZ-5676.
Epizyme believes that pinometostat was the first HMT inhibitor to enter human clinical development. Epizyme initiated a phase 1b study of pinometostat in pediatric patients with MLL-r in May 2014. Additional information about this ongoing phase 1 study can be found here:
View Source
Pinometostat has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. and by the European Commission in Europe.
Epizyme retains all U.S. rights to pinometostat and has granted Celgene an exclusive license to pinometostat outside of the U.S.