Marimastat Fulfills All Expectations At ASCO

British Biotech's long-awaited Phase II trial results for marimastat have been presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, to the delight of investors and the medical community alike (see page 2 and 9).

Marimastat, a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor which acts by preventing the spread of tumor cells, achieved a clinical benefit in patients with pancreatic and ovarian cancer, while tumor marker studies reinforced earlier findings in 94 patients reported last year (Marketletter December 4, 1995). Data on 232 patients out of a total of 365 were presented at ASCO.

Eight dose levels were tested; patients with advanced pancreatic, ovarian and prostatic cancer received doses of 75mg, 50mg, 25mg 10mg and 5mg twice-daily, while once-daily dosing was explored at 25mg, 10mg and 5mg. Importantly, a significant dose-response was observed, and as a result an optimum dose of 10mg twice-daily has been selected as the lowest dose that shows maximal effect and the primary dose for use in Phase III trials.