KOSAN DELAYS ENROLLMENT IN CANCER TRIALS

Kosan Biosciences has announced that further patient enrollment in a pair of cancer treatment clinical trials will be delayed until changes can be made to the study protocols.

The company said the protocol changes came from the National Cancer Institute after five patients showed unspecified heart monitor changes after being given cancer drug candidate 17-AAG. The protocol change requires that all patients undergo heart monitoring before being given 17-AAG or KOS-1022, another drug candidate, and that patients with prior heart disease must be excluded from the studies.

The more than 400 patients already receiving the drug will continue treatment, but the company does not expect to begin enrolling new patients for another one to three months.