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31 March, 2009
Proacta Inc Announces Phase II Clinical Trial of PR104
San Diego, CA, March 31, 2009 -- Proacta Inc, a clinical stage biotechnology company, announced today that it opened two randomized phase II trials of PR104; a small molecule prodrug designed to target tumor hypoxia.
Two separate trials have been initiated: one evaluating the effectiveness of docetaxel plus PR104 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), and the other evaluating the effectiveness of PR104 plus sorafenib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Tumor hypoxia, a condition common in solid tumors, can make conventional cancer treatments less effective. PR104 is designed to be selectively kill resistant cells in the low oxygen environment of hypoxic tumors. Early clinical trials with PR104 have demonstrated that it is tolerated at levels shown to be effective in preclinical models, and preclinical studies have demonstrated that PR104 is both activated by, and can result in the death of, hypoxic tumor cells. Once activated by hypoxic tumor cells, PR104 can also distribute to surrounding tumor cells and kill adjacent, non-hypoxic tumor cells. This "bystander effect" appears to increase the effectiveness of PR104 and differentiates PR104 from most other hypoxia targeted cancer treatments.
The NSCLC study is being conducted at sites in the US and New Zealand, whilst the hepatocellular carcinoma is being conducted at sites in the US, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
About Proacta
Proacta Inc is a clinical stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops innovative small molecule prodrugs that address critical, unmet needs in oncology. Proacta's initial programs are focused on developing prodrugs that are selectively activated under hypoxic conditions within a solid tumor. The company's scientific founders are at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Stanford University in the United States. Proacta, Inc is headquartered in San Diego, California and has a wholly-owned subsidiary, Proacta Therapeutics Ltd, located in Auckland, New Zealand where drug discovery efforts are located. www.proacta.com
