Azixa effective to tackle treatment resistance in brain tumours, melanoma: Myriad

 
Azixa, a new drug in development, offers a potential treatment for the difficult-to-treat brain cancer and melanoma in combination with other existing drugs, according to Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Azixa, which contains the anti-cancer agent verubulin, showed lasting effectiveness with less side-effects in both recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and stage 4 metastatic melanoma in combination with standard treatments.

Azixa is a novel small molecule that can dstabilize microtubule inside the cells. This causes an arrest of cell division leading to cell death in cancer cells.

Several currently marketed clinically effective drugs share the identical mechanism of action.

However, Azixa has two unique, distinguishing characteristics. In non-clinical studies, Azixa has demonstrated the ability to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in the brain at levels as much as 3000% that in plasma. In addition, Azixa does not appear to be subject to multiple drug resistance.

“We are very encouraged by the duration and frequency of responses seen in patients treated with Azixa in both GBM and metastatic melanoma,” stated Dr Adrian Hobden, president and CEO of Myriad Pharmaceuticals.

Azixa has shown increased activity in very difficult-to-treat cancers. And Azixa  administered in combination with standard chemotherapeutic regimens did not result in increased toxicity when compared to chemotherapy alone, he added.

Azixa was studied with carboplatin in 19 patients with GBM or brain cancer. All patients had failed previous treatment with temozolomide. In the GBM study, six subjects achieved stable disease and two subjects had achieved partial responses. One subject’s partial response duration was 7.8 months; the additional patient’s response is, as of today, 16 months in duration and has been classified by his physician as almost a complete response.

The overall response rate was 42% as defined by partial response and stable disease.

In another study on  22 patients with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma, two patients achieved partial response durations of four and 10 months. Nine patients experienced stable disease durations between three and seven months. The response rate was 50% and the average survival of patients in the metastatic melanoma study was 2.9 months.

Myriad Pharmaceuticals believes that Azixa represents a unique therapeutic opportunity with the potential to treat patients with any primary or secondary (metastatic) brain cancer or any cancer that has developed resistance to conventional chemotherapeutics. Azixa is currently in clinical studies in patients with GBM.

Myriad Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company.