Protherics and Advancell enroll Acadra Ph I/II trial

London, UK-based Protherics and its Spanish co-development partner, Advancell, say that the first patient has now been enrolled in a recently-initiated Phase I/II clinical study of Acadra (acadesine) in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Most drugs currently used to treat B-CLL also kill T-cells, suppressing the patient's immune system and increasing the risk of serious infection; a common cause of death in patients with the condition. Acadra is a potentially selective treatment for B-CLL which has been shown to cause the death of B-cells whilst sparing T-cells in blood samples. The drug has also shown the capacity to kill B-CLL cells that are resistant to current therapies, such as fludarabine. Protherics and Advancell are jointly developing the compound in this indication following a licensing and co-development agreement announced in December 2006.