ANTISOMA ANNOUNCES DATA FOR LUNG CANCER DRUG

Antisoma has announced positive preliminary Phase II trial data for its new AS1404 drug for lung cancer. The trial compares non-small cell lung cancer patients taking AS1404 in addition to standard chemotherapy with patients on standard chemotherapy alone. Initial data from 47 of the 71 patients enrolled in the trial showed those receiving AS1404 showed a higher frequency of tumor responses -- 43.5 percent versus 33.3 percent -- and a lower frequency of progressive disease. The trial raised no safety concerns.

AS1404 is a vascular disrupting agent that selectively attacks tumor blood vessels. The lung cancer study is the first controlled trial of a vascular disrupting agent to report evidence of anticancer activity.