Spectrum's SPI-1620 enters Ph I study

The USA's Spectrum Pharmaceuticals says that the first patient has received SPI-1620 in a Phase I dose-escalation study. The highly selective endothelin-B agonist is being developed as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy.

The open-label, dose-escalation evaluation is assessing the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SPI-1620 in recurrent or progressive carcinoma. "In preclinical studies, administering SPI-1620 15 minutes prior to chemotherapy demonstrated up to a 400% increase in drug concentration in the tumors, resulting in increased tumor response," said Rajesh Shrotriya, chief executive of Spectrum. "We believe that, with further clinical development, SPI-1620 has the potential to significantly increase the efficacy of a broad range of chemotherapeutic drugs used for the treatment of solid tumors," he added.