Genta begins trials for novel oral taxane

Genta, a US biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering innovative products for the treatment of cancer,  has initiated a new clinical  trial with its  novel, orally-absorbed, semi-synthetic taxane oncology  drug tesetaxel, after the US Food and Drug Administration gave the  trials the go-ahead (Marketletter June 30, 2008).

Unlike standard taxanes such as paclitaxel, which must be infused  intravenously, tesetaxel is administered as a capsule. The new study  will examine the clinical pharmacology of the drug over a narrow dosing  range around that established in Phase II studies.

"Taxanes are the most widely used class of anticancer compounds," said  chief medical officer Loretta Itri. "Successful development of an oral  taxane has been a research goal that has eluded many pharmaceutical  companies. Tesetaxel has already been tested in more than 250 patients  with various types of cancer in the USA, Europe and Japan. By  eliminating serious hypersensitivity infusion reactions, as well as  potentially reducing nerve damage and overcoming resistance to standard  taxanes, tesetaxel may offer important new treatment options for  patients with advanced cancer," she added.