Antisoma's AS1404 boosts Avastin efficacy in colon and lung cancer models, says trial

In a presentation to a meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, held in Washington DC, USA, UK-headquartered cancer drug specialist Antisoma said that a study of its flagship vascular disrupting candidate, AS1404, showed that a combination of AS1404 and Avastin (bevacizumab), manufactured by US firm Genentech, was more effective that Avastin alone at inhibiting the growth of human colon and lung tumor xenografts. The firm added that the combination of the two products did not lead to an increase in observable side effects.

Study findings

The research group reported that combination therapy increased the mean time taken for colon cancer tumors to quadruple in size, the study's primary measure, by 40 days, versus the addition 17 days conferred by Avastin monotherpy and the 29-day extension mediated by AS1404 alone. When assessed in the treatment of lung cancer, combination therapy increased the time to quadrupling by 79 days, while Asatin and AS1404 monotherapies added 42 days and 32 days, respectively. The company says that the results support the concept of combining vascular disrupting agents that act on tumor blood supply with anti-angiogenic drugs which inhibit new blood vessel growth in the treatment of various cancers.