Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has announced that a Phase 2 study into the effects of the drug satraplatin in patients with metastatic breast cancer has opened.

Spectrum's co-development partner, German firm GPC Biotech, has opened the multi-centre study and is looking for patients who have received no more than one prior chemotherapy treatment regimen to test satraplatin, a member of the platinum family of compounds.

Platinum-based drugs have become a critical part of modern chemotherapy treatments over the past 20 years and are used to treat a wide variety of cancers, with sales of the drugs topping $2.2 billion in 2004.

Satraplatin, an investigational drug and orally bioavailable compound, does not require intravenous administration and is given as capsules that can be taken at home. It has demonstrated activity in the treatment of a number of solid tumours.

The Phase 2 trial is part of the development and ultimate commercialisation of satraplatin by Spectrum and GPC Biotech. Satraplatin is currently in a Phase 3 registrational trial as a second-line chemotherapy treatment for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer and GPC is also opening new clinical studies to explore the potential of the drug in a number of additional tumour types.

Rajesh C Shrotriya, chairman, CEO and president of Spectrum, said: "While enrolment in the phase 3 trial in hormone refractory prostate cancer is on target for completion by the end of the year, the initiation of additional, exploratory studies evaluating satraplatin in additional indications is another step towards realising the potential this drug might have on the treatment of cancer."

The latest study is being managed by US Oncology and 57 centres in the US Oncology Network plan to participate, enrolling around 80 patients


Ÿ Adfero Ltd