Pharmion Corporation (Nasdaq: PHRM) together with its partner MethylGene, Inc. (TSE: MYG), has initiated the enrollment of patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas for its Phase II clinical trial of MGCD0103, the company’s lead histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor product candidate (a rationally designed, oral, isotype-selective HDAC inhibitor).
Specific patient populations are those suffering from two tumor types that are classified as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL): diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma.
This open-label, single-agent trial (Trial 008), to be conducted at several leading cancer centers in North America, will enroll up to 82 patients with DLBCL or follicular lymphoma for whom other treatments have failed or whose disease has relapsed.
The said trial, expected to last up to 24 months, has the following key objectives:
According to Dr. Michael Crump, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto Lymphoma Site Leader at Princess Margaret Hospital and a principal investigator for this trial:
"HDAC inhibition represents a novel mechanism for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since key targets such as BCL-2 and BCL-6 have been shown to be regulated by HDAC. Preclinical and clinical data support the use of HDAC inhibitors in lymphoma.
In addition, because of the difficulty in treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, there is a need for novel oral agents that could be used either alone or possibly in combination with current treatments."
Read more at Pharmion Corporation.
Comment Preview