CHEMGENEX EXPANDS CANCER DRUG TRIAL

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals has expanded its Phase II clinical trial of its investigational anticancer drug, Quinamed (amonafide dihydrochloride), to include patients with breast and ovarian cancer. The trial was expanded beyond prostate cancer, based on results from earlier clinical studies and clinical advice.

ChemGenex's approach with Quinamed uses a genetic test to classify how each patient will metabolize the drug. The test, for variations in the NAT2 gene, is used to design a personalized dosing regimen that seeks to maximize antitumor response while minimizing toxicity.

Patients will be genotyped when entering the study. They will then be dosed once weekly for three weeks each month, at 400 to 500 mg if they are slow metabolizers and at 320 mg if they are fast or intermediate metabolizers. The primary endpoints of the study are tumor response rate and duration of response.