16 February 2018 - - A planned interim review of data supports continuation of San Diego, California-based oncology company MEI Pharma, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: MEIP) multicenter, investigator sponsored, study evaluating ME-344, a novel mitochondrial inhibitor, in patients with HER2-negative breast cancer, the company said.
The interim study data show that ME-344 was generally well-tolerated and, consistent with previous preclinical data, demonstrate the potential to reverse resistance to antiangiogenic therapy.
Based on the interim results, it was determined that completion of enrollment of the clinical study of ME-344 in combination with bevacizumab (marketed as Avastin) is warranted.
Inhibition of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with drug candidates such as ME-344 may have significant potential in combination with antiangiogenic agents that are widely used biologic agents in oncology, but acquired resistance to antiangiogenics is a major problem in cancer therapeutics.
The study is a multicenter, investigator sponsored, randomized, open label, clinical trial evaluating ME-344 in a total of 40 patients with HER2-negative breast cancer in combination with the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab (marketed as Avastin).
MEI Pharma is focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The company's portfolio of drug candidates includes pracinostat, an oral HDAC inhibitor; ME-401, a highly differentiated oral PI3K delta inhibitor; and voruciclib, an oral, selective CDK inhibitor; ME-344, a mitochondrial inhibitor.