OXiGENE's Zybrestat achieves endpoints in ovarian cancer

OXiGENE, a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, says that its lead product candidate, Zybrestat (combretastatin-A4 phosphate), has achieved the pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint for Stage 1 of an ongoing Phase II ovarian cancer clinical trial. The study utilized an open-label, Simon two-stage design to evaluate the combination of Zybrestat, carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with advanced, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, a refractory form of the disease for which therapeutic options are limited. Having met the Stage 1 primary efficacy endpoint, the clinical trial will proceed to its second stage, in which an additional 25 patients will be enrolled.

"These results add to the growing body of data indicating that Zybrestat has clinical activity against a wide variety of solid tumors, particularly when administered in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents," commented Patricia Walicke, chief medical officer of OXiGENE.