Erimos Pharmaceuticals announced in collaboration with Adult Brain Tumor Consortium (ABTC) and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, initiation of a multi-center phase I clinical study of their lead compound, terameprocol (EM-1421) in patients with High Grade Glioma (Grade III or IV). The primary objectives are to determine the safe dose, schedule and tumor uptake of terameprocol administered orally. Secondary endpoints include toxicity, pharmacokinetics and response. This oral study follows completion of a prior phase I trial conducted by the New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy Consortium that administered terameprocol intravenously to this patient population.
“We are extremely pleased with our development progress at this stage. A pharmacodynamic study in animals found low toxicity and demonstrated that terameprocol administered orally has the potential to achieve sustained plasma concentration to allow continued suppression of Sp-1 regulated genes and proteins that are over-expressed in cancer; such as survivin, cdc2, VEGF and AKT. Additional oral clinical studies are planned for other solid tumor and hematological malignancies, based on previous phase 1 clinical trials conducted with intravenous terameprocol,” stated Jeffrey Khoo, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Erimos Pharmaceuticals, LLC.