XMT-1001 demonstrates tolerability in advanced tumor study

USA-based cancer drug developer Mersana Therapeutics, formerly known as Nanopharma, says that interim data from a Phase I trial of its lead product candidate XMT-1001 in patients with advanced solid tumors indicates the efficacy of its Fleximer release technology. The compound, which is a prodrug of the DNA topoisomerase inhibitor camptothecin, is designed to allow the gradual release of the active ingredient, thereby avoiding some of the side effects commonly associated with drugs of this class.

The findings, which were announced at this year's joint meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, the National Cancer Institute and the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer in San Francisco, are from an open-label, dose-escalation program designed to establish XMT-1001's safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics. The results so far indicate that treatment is well tolerated and is associated with low levels of CPT, both total and free, excreted in the urine. The firm added that, as yet, the maximum tolerated dose of XMT-1001 has not been established.