Phase 2 trial initiated for pancreatic cancer regimen

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has begun a phase 2 trial for apatorsen for use in patients with previously untreated, metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a press release.

The Rainier trial will include 130 patients randomized to receive either placebo or intravenous apatorsen (OGX-427) with Abraxane and gemcitabine once a week. The study will take place at approximately 12 medical facilities throughout the US. Overall survival will be the primary endpoint, with other evaluated factors including progression-free survival, safety and tolerability, tumor response rates and levels of heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27).

Apatorsen inhibits the production of Hsp27, an intracellular protein protective of cancer cells that increases treatment resistance and can result in more aggressive cancer. The addition of apatorsen to existing therapies may improve outcomes from and durability of existing therapies, according to the release.

“Median survival for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer remains desperately low, and we need to explore additional strategies to address treatment resistance,” researcher Johanna Bendell, MD, director of the GI cancer research program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, said in the release. “We are very excited to open enrollment in the Rainier trial, to explore the role of Hsp27 in pancreatic cancer and to evaluate for the potential ability of apatorsen to improve clinical outcomes for patients when added to combination chemotherapy.”