COUGAR BIOTECH RELEASES DATA ON PROSTATE CANCER DRUG

Low toxicity and and a positive response rate. Considering this is only in
Phase I, it is highly encouraging

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COUGAR BIOTECH RELEASES DATA ON PROSTATE CANCER DRUG
Cougar Biotechnology has announced positive Phase I data on the company's
prostate cancer drug CB7630 (abiraterone acetate). In the trial, CB7630 was
administered once daily to chemotherapy-naive patients with CRPC, who had
progressive disease despite treatment with LHRH analogues and multiple
other hormonal therapies including antiandrogens, diethylstilboestrol and
dexamethasone.

The results from the trial showed that in the 14 patients tested, CB7630 was
well-tolerated at doses as high as 2,000 mg/day with minimal toxicity.
Moreover, no dose-limiting toxicity has been observed in the trial to date.
Of the 12 patients that were evaluable for antitumor activity, eight
patients (67 percent) experienced a confirmed decline in prostate specific
antigen (PSA) levels of greater than 50 percent and six patients (50
percent) experienced PSA declines of greater than 90 percent. Of the five
evaluable patients with measurable tumor lesions, treatment with CB7630
resulted in partial radiological responses (as measured by the RECIST
criteria) in three (60 percent) patients. Individual patients treated with
CB7630 also experienced radiographic regression of bone metastases and
improvement in pain.

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) were detected in six of 14 patients, and
changes in CTC counts were shown to correlate with changes in PSA. Ten (71
percent) of the 14 patients will continue on treatment with CB7630, with
some patients having been on the drug for more than nine months.

"Elliott Reinhardt" <elliott@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:imgXg.1198$Cw7.928@newsfe02.lga...
> Low toxicity and and a positive response rate. Considering this is only in
> Phase I, it is highly encouraging
>
> COUGAR BIOTECH RELEASES DATA ON PROSTATE CANCER DRUG
> Cougar Biotechnology has announced positive Phase I data on the company's
> prostate cancer drug CB7630 (abiraterone acetate).
snip
> Of the 12 patients that were evaluable for antitumor activity, eight
> patients (67 percent) experienced a confirmed decline in prostate specific
> antigen (PSA) levels of greater than 50 percent and six patients (50
> percent) experienced PSA declines of greater than 90 percent.
snip
> Circulating tumor cells (CTC) were detected in six of 14 patients, and
> changes in CTC counts were shown to correlate with changes in PSA.

I'm the nut case who believes that diet and supplements MAY have an
ameliorative effect on PCa. Not long ago I reported here that my PSA has
fallen (from 6.2 to 3.3) over the past year or so since diagnosis.
Successsive color doppler ultrasounds show no signs of progression of the
cancer during that time.
Several members of our online community responded, wisely, that I should be
cautious about equating a decline in PSA with a deceleration of the cancer
activity. Yet this drug company seems to be doing precisely that -- using
PSA readings as a proxy for tumor activity, and buttressing that by
correlating PSA and tumor cell counts.
I'd welcome feedback about this from those who are skeptical about using PSA
as a proxy for cancer activity level.

Alex