Ascenta Therapeutics Announces Presentation of Promising Results From Clinical Trials of AT-101 in Prostate, Brain, and Lung Cancers at 2009 ASCO Annu...( MALVERN Pa. June 1 /- Ascenta Therape...)

MALVERN, Pa., June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascenta Therapeutics announced today that promising results from ongoing clinical studies in prostate, brain and lung cancers were among the data presented on AT-101, an oral, pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, May 29-June 2, in Orlando, Florida.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090227/PH75873LOGO )

"We are delighted with the depth and breadth of the data available on our lead compound, AT-101, at this important scientific conference" said Mel Sorensen, MD, CEO of Ascenta Therapeutics. "The clinical utility of AT-101 is being explored in several major tumor types and treatment regimens, with prostate cancer at the most advanced stage of development."

AT-101 in Prostate Cancer

Researchers presented updated data from an open-label, multicenter, Phase I/II study of AT-101 in combination with docetaxel and prednisone in men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)(1). This study enrolled 36 patients, who were treated with a standard docetaxel/prednisone regimen with the addition of AT-101 given twice a day on days 1-3 of each docetaxel treatment cycle. Thirty-six percent of patients completed at least ten 21-day cycles of treatment.

Responses to therapy were evaluated according to both PSA and RECIST (tumor shrinkage) criteria. As of last follow-up, 67 percent of patients had achieved a PSA partial response (a decrease in PSA level of at least 50 percent) and 45 percent of those with measurable disease achieved partial responses per RECIST. A reduction in circulating tumor cells was also reported after the first cycle of treatment and tended to be predictive of RECIST response.
'/>"/>