- Subject: SunPharm Corporation and Parke-Davis Division of...
- From: AOL News <AOLNews@aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 6 Dec 1997 09:02:15 EST
- Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com)
<HTML><PRE><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=5><B>SunPharm Corporation and Parke-
Davis Division of Warner-Lambert Complete Phase I Clinical Program for Anti-
Cancer Drug CI-1006
<FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3></B> - Phase II Clinical Trials to
Start in Early 1998 -
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPharm Corporation
(Nasdaq: SUNP) announced today the successful completion of a multicenter
Phase I program of diethlynorspermine (DENSPM or CI-1006) in refractive cancer
patients. The Company also announced that the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical
Research Division of Warner-Lambert Company (NYSE: WLA) will start multicenter
Phase II clinical trials in the first quarter of 1998 in several types of
cancers including ovarian, melanoma, pancreatic, non-small cell lung cancer,
renal cell carcinoma and colon cancer.
CI-1006 belongs to a new class of anticancer agents that works by a novel
mechanism of action. CI-1006 is an analogue of the naturally occurring
polyamine, spermine, that is taken up by cells like natural polyamines, but
once inside, cannot perform the functions of their natural counterpart.
Polyamines bind electrostatically to proteins and nucleic acids to ensure the
fidelity of cellular growth processes such as replication, transcription and
translation. Cancer cells have been found to have a higher requirement for
polyamines than normal cells, such that the uptake of CI-1006 in cancer cells
disrupts this growth process and eventually destroys the cancerous cells in a
"Trojan Horse"-like fashion.
In the multicenter Phase I clinical program, activity was seen in several
tumor types in patients refractory to all conventional chemotherapy. The dose
limiting side-effects in a once-a-day for five-day schedule were limited to
the gastrointestinal tract, with no bone marrow suppression.
"We are very excited about the commitment Warner-Lambert Company is making
in oncology based on their plans to take CI-1006 into an aggressive Phase II
development program," said Stefan Borg, President & Chief Executive Officer of
SunPharm Corporation. "This is an important milestone in our ongoing
collaboration with SunPharm Corporation to better characterize clinically and
preclinically the novel activity of CI-1006 in the treatment of various
cancers," said Michael D. Taylor, Ph.D., Vice President of Drug Development
for the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research division.
SunPharm, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is engaged in the development of
small molecule pharmaceutical products, derived from novel polyamine analogues
and metal chelators, for the treatment of gastrointestinal and viral
disorders, cancer and other proliferative disorders. These products, invented
by Dr. Raymond Bergeron at the University of Florida, are under exclusive
development by the Company for treatment of severe chronic disorders.
Certain statements in this news release regarding the potential
therapeutic utility of polyamine analogues and SunPharm's development plans
may be regarded as forward-looking statements and involve risk and
uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the
statements made, including the success and timing of product approvals, the
establishment of new corporate alliances, and other risks listed from time to
time in SunPharm's SEC filings, including those described in SunPharm's most
recently filed annual report on Form 10-KSB. These forward-looking statements
represent SunPharm's judgment, as of the date of this release, and SunPharm
disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
CO: SunPharm Corporation; Warner-Lambert Company
ST: Florida, Illinois
IN: MTC
SU:
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