OncoMed Begins Phase 1b/2 Trial Of Anti-cancer Stem Cell Product Candidate

(RTTNews) - OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(OMED), Thursday said it initiated Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of its anti-cancer stem cell product candidate, demcizumab or OMP-21M18 in ovarian cancer. Demcizumab will be tested in combination with paclitaxel in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal cancer, in the study. Progression-free survival and response rate mark the primary endpoints of the Phase 2 part of the trial.

The company said that this trial is its fourth Phase 1b trial of demcizumab, and the second portion of this protocol would represent the first Phase 2 trial of demcizumab. OncoMed also said that Phase 1b trials in pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer are currently enrolling patients.

"We have observed strong preclinical efficacy of demcizumab and paclitaxel in patient-derived ovarian cancer xenograft models, as well as early evidence of activity of demcizumab in ovarian cancer in the Phase 1a single-agent study of demcizumab." said Jakob Dupont, Chief Medical Officer of OncoMed.