Ascenta Therapeutics Announces Positive Preliminary Results with AT-101 in Docetaxel Refractory Prost...( - Data presented today at American So...),Health

- Data presented today at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium -

MALVERN, Pa., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascenta Therapeutics announced today positive preliminary results from its Phase II study of AT-101 in combination with docetaxel and prednisone (D/P) in men with docetaxel refractory, castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando, FL. AT-101, an oral, pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor currently in double-blinded, randomized Phase II clinical trials in both prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, is the lead compound in Ascenta Therapeutics' portfolio of apoptosis-triggering small molecules.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090227/PH75873 )

"This is the first report of several we plan to present this year from a large and growing data set demonstrating the broad therapeutic potential of AT-101," said Mel Sorensen, MD, CEO of Ascenta Therapeutics. "The evidence of resistance reversal from this refractory population supplements the earlier clinical data demonstrating robust activity with the same regimen in docetaxel-naive patients."

Initial findings from the ongoing open-label, multi-center study demonstrates that AT-101 can be administered safely with D/P in these patients. Investigators also observed clinical responses, based on both PSA and RECIST criteria, including four patients with a confirmed PR (partial response, defined as a PSA decline of 50 percent or greater).

"This first look at the data is very encouraging, particularly since all of these patients were truly refractory to docetaxel, having not simply failed to respond but actually experienced disease progression during prior therapy," said James Reeves, MD, principal investigator, Florida Cance
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