BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Antisoma cancer news

March 14, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

Antisoma reduced headcount to about 10 as part of its previously announced restructuring to save cash. The cuts include CMO Gray Acton. The company plans to further reduce headcount next month. In January, Antisoma announced plans to restructure after discontinuing development of amonafide (AS1413), which missed the primary endpoint in the Phase III ACCEDE trial for secondary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Antisoma also discontinued a Phase IIb trial of AS1411 to treat relapsed or refractory AML in January after data from about 45 patients showed the compound was unlikely to produce a clear benefit. Amonafide is an ATP-independent topoisomerase II (TOP2) inhibitor and AS1411 is an anti- nucleolin aptamer (see BioCentury, Feb. 14).

Last week, Biothera (Eagan, Minn.) acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to Antisoma's AS1402 for an undisclosed sum. Antisoma discontinued a Phase II trial evaluating the humanized mAb against mucin 1 ( MUC1; CD227) in breast cancer patients due to results that "would be very unlikely to give sufficiently positive efficacy findings." ...