Strong preclinical data for EntreMed's Panzem

EntreMed, a USA-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical firm specializing in treatments for cancer and inflammatory diseases, has reported promising results from in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies showing a benefit in multiple myeloma with the combination of its drug Panzem (2-methoxyestradiol) and Millennium Pharmaceuticals' Velcade (bortezomib) over either agent used alone.

The data, which were presented at the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, held in Orlando, Florida, found that the combination had greater antiproliferative effects on two human multiple myeloma cell lines tested than either agent as monotherapy. According to the firm, this enhanced growth inhibition was associated with an increase in apoptosis-related proteins, decreased levels of the nuclear transcription factors HIF-1alpha, pSTAT3 and NFkappaB, and a drop in the amount of autocrine growth factor interleukin-6.