The American Society of Clinical Oncology (#ASCO16) annual meeting featured several significant oral scientific presentations on the blood cancers over the weekend here in Chicago.
CPX-351: A session on hematological malignancies Saturday afternoon included a discussion of final data from the Phase 3 clinical trial of Celator’s drug CPX-351 (Vyxeos ®). LLS invested substantially in this study through our Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP). The study was in a small subset of elderly patients diagnosed with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – either it had developed from myelodysplastic syndrome or as a result of treatment from another myeloid cancer. Dr. Jeffrey Lancet of Moffitt Cancer Center presented the data, showing that CPX-351, an innovative reformulation of standard chemotherapy, outperformed the standard combination of cytarabine and daunorubicin (generally known as 7+3) by all measures: the primary endpoint – overall survival; and other secondary endpoints, such as event-free survival, complete response, overall response, safety and even for those patients who subsequently underwent a stem cell transplant.
Both Dr. Lancet, and Dr. Richard Larsen of University of Chicago, who moderated the question and answer portion, asserted that the drug should become the first line therapy for this patient group. Celator and Jazz Pharmaceuticals recently announced a merger, with the hopes that Jazz can help bring the drug, which recently received breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA, the rest of the way through the regulatory review process.