TSX Venture: QPT
EDMONTON,
June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Quest
PharmaTech Inc. (TSX-V: QPT) ("Quest" or the "Company"), a
pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products for
the treatment of cancer, announces that it has received clearance
from the United States Food and Drug Administration to initiate
U.S. sites for an ongoing international Phase II clinical trial for
oregovomab in advanced ovarian cancer patients. The objective of
this study is to evaluate whether optimally dosed oregovomab in
conjunction with front-line chemotherapy will generate the same or
an improved immune and clinical response, as seen in a previous
Phase II clinical trial in a similar ovarian cancer patient
population.
The U.S. centers include Michiana Hematology and
Oncology at South Bend, Indiana
with Dr. Michael Method as the lead
investigator; University of
Connecticut Health Center at Farmington, Connecticut with Dr. Molly R. Brewer as the lead investigator, and
the Stanford Cancer Institute at Stanford, California with Dr. Jonathan S. Berek as the lead investigator.
Two of the three participating U.S. centers have
received all necessary regulatory approvals and are now actively
recruiting patients. The third center is awaiting IRB approval.
Additional information on the Company's clinical trial can be found
listed in www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
"A systemic study of combinatorial immunization
strategies such as the current trial with evidence based
preliminary observations has the potential of revolutionizing
cancer therapy and may lead to important commercial applications"
said Dr. Christopher Nicodemus, MD,
FACP, Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Company's Clinical
Advisory Board.
"We are pleased with the interest from the U.S.
centers to participate in this important clinical trial. The
additional centers will not only speed up patient enrollment for
the study, but will raise the profile and awareness of Quest's lead
immunotherapy product in the ovarian cancer community in
North America", said Dr.
Madi R. Madiyalakan, PhD, Chief
Executive Officer for Quest.
About oregovomab
Quest PharmaTech is developing oregovomab, a
high affinity monoclonal antibody for the treatment of advanced
ovarian cancer. Oregovomab targets the circulating tumour
associated antigen CA125. The unique mechanism of action of this
treatment involves infusion of oregovomab at immune stimulatory
doses (2mg) that specifically bind circulating and local CA125. The
antibody-antigen complex is taken up by dendritic cells that, after
processing, present the antigen fragments to T-cells via the MHC
system. The robust CD4 and CD8 T-cell response that follows has
been shown to be associated with a survival advantage, especially
when administered in combination with chemotherapy.
About Quest PharmaTech Inc.
Quest is a publicly traded, Alberta-based biotechnology company committed
to the development and commercialization of oncology product
candidates. It is developing a series of products for the treatment
of cancer based on its pipeline of SonoLight compounds; and
monoclonal antibodies which target certain tumour antigens that are
presented in a variety of cancers. The Company has active
collaborations with major comprehensive cancer care centers, and
international experts, to further the growing understanding of how
to use antibodies to make a patient's own tumour markers become the
patient's own vaccine.
Quest believes that combinatorial immunotherapy,
which exploits the immune modulating effects of selected cytotoxic
agents normally used in standard chemotherapy regimens along with
specific immune stimulants will lead to important commercial
applications of the Company's proprietary platform. Quest is
currently conducting two carefully planned, risk mitigating
confirmatory clinical trials, not only to validate the superiority
of the combinatorial approach, but also to design a definitive
product registration study. The Company's MUC1 antibody program has
the potential to permit tumour specific immunization to a broad
range of additional cancers, including colon, non small cell lung,
breast and pancreas.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Quest PharmaTech Inc.