Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS: SPPI), a biotechnology company with
fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a
primary focus in hematology and oncology, today announced that it has
achieved the target enrollment of the minimum of 100 evaluable relapsed
or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) patients in the BELIEF
registration trial. Belinostat, a novel HDAC inhibitor, is being
evaluated, under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), as monotherapy
treatment for relapsed or refractory PTCL, an indication for which it
has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). Central review of pathology for all
patients entered onto the trial is currently ongoing.
"We are pleased to announce that belinostat’s pivotal, registrational
trial in relapsed/refractory PTCL has achieved its target enrollment,”
said Rajesh C. Shrotriya, MD, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and
President of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. "Belinostat is a novel HDAC
inhibitor that has the potential to play an important role in therapy
for PTCL, an often lethal disease with significant unmet medical need,
and in a variety of other indications. It has shown to be active as a
single agent and in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents in
multiple clinical trials. We plan to file a New Drug Application in
2012. If approved, we believe belinostat will add value to our existing
hematology/oncology portfolio, increase our current sales efforts in
hematology/oncology, and demonstrate our commitment to developing novel
treatments for lymphoma.”
According to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (www.lymphoma.org),
lymphoma is the most common blood cancer. The two main forms of lymphoma
are Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Lymphoma
occurs when lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, grow abnormally
where they reside in the lymph glands. The body has two main types of
lymphocytes that can develop into lymphomas: B-lymphocytes (B-cells) and
T-lymphocytes (T-cells). PTCL comprises a group of rare and aggressive
NHLs that develop from mature T-cells. PTCL accounts for approximately
10 to 15% of all NHL cases in the United States.
About the BELIEF Registrational Study
Belinostat is currently in a registrational, pivotal trial, under an
SPA, as monotherapy for relapsed and refractory PTCL, an indication
which has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the
FDA. The registrational trial is an open-label, multicenter, single arm
efficacy and safety study in patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL,
who have failed at least one prior systemic therapy. The primary
endpoint is centrally reviewed objective overall response rate (ORR).
About Belinostat
Belinostat (PXD 101) is a Class I and II HDAC inhibitor that is being
studied in multiple clinical trials as a single agent or in combination
with chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of various hematological
and solid cancers. Its anticancer effect is thought to be mediated
through multiple mechanisms of action, including the inhibition of cell
proliferation, induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death),
inhibition of angiogenesis, induction of differentiation, and the
resensitization of cells that have become resistant to anticancer agents
such as platinums, taxanes and topoisomerase II inhibitors. Belinostat
is the only HDAC inhibitor in clinical development with multiple
potential routes of administration, including intravenous
administration, continuous intravenous infusion and oral administration.
Belinostat is currently in a registrational trial, the BELIEF Study,
under a SPA, as monotherapy for relapsed or refractory PTCL, an
indication for which it has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track
designations by the FDA. Belinostat is also under investigation in a
randomized Phase 2 trial, as a combination therapy with carboplatin and
paclitaxel, for cancer of unknown primary (CUP). The CUP study is being
run and fully funded by our partner Topotarget A/S. Additionally, the
National Cancer Institute is currently conducting several clinical
trials of belinostat in a variety of hematological and solid tumors,
both as monotherapy as well as combination therapy.
About Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company with fully
integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary
focus in oncology. The Company’s strategy is comprised of acquiring,
developing and commercializing a broad and diverse pipeline of
late-stage clinical and commercial products. The Company markets two
oncology and hematology drugs, FUSILEV and ZEVALIN and has two drugs,
apaziquone and belinostat, in late stage development along with a
diversified pipeline of novel drug candidates. The Company has assembled
an integrated in-house scientific team, including clinical development,
medical research, regulatory affairs, biostatistics and data management,
formulation development, and has established a commercial infrastructure
for the marketing of its drug products. The Company also leverages the
expertise of its worldwide partners to assist in the execution of its
strategy. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.sppirx.com.
Forward-looking statement – This press release may contain
forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future
performance of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals that involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.
These statements are based on management’s current beliefs and
expectations.
These statements include but are not limited to
statements that relate to our business and its future, including certain
company milestones, Spectrum's ability to identify, acquire, develop and
commercialize a broad and diverse pipeline of late-stage clinical and
commercial products, leveraging the expertise of partners and employees,
around the world to assist us in the execution of our strategy, and any
statements that relate to the intent, belief, plans or expectations of
Spectrum or its management, or that are not a statement of historical
fact. Risks that could cause actual results to differ include the
possibility that our existing and new drug candidates, may not prove
safe or effective, the possibility that our existing and new drug
candidates may not receive approval from the FDA, and other regulatory
agencies in a timely manner or at all, the possibility that our existing
and new drug candidates, if approved, may not be more effective, safer
or more cost efficient than competing drugs, the possibility that our
efforts to acquire or in-license and develop additional drug candidates
may fail, our lack of sustained revenue history, our limited marketing
experience, our dependence on third parties for clinical trials,
manufacturing, distribution and quality control and other risks that are
described in further detail in the Company's reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not plan to update any such
forward-looking statements and expressly disclaim any duty to update the
information contained in this press release except as required by law.
SPECTRUM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. ®, ZEVALIN®, and FUSILEV® are
registered trademarks of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
REDEFINING
CANCER CARE™ and the Spectrum Pharmaceutical logos are trademarks owned
by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
© 2011 Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
