PharmAust human drug trial advancing to second patient

THE ROADHOUSE PHARMACY: PharmAust Limited (ASX: PAA) is moving towards the treatment of the second patient in its ‘First in Man’ trial with the company’s anti-cancer drug PPL-1.

Following the approval of the study by the Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Ethics Committee in April, PharmAust commenced recruitment and treatment of the first patient with PPL-1.

Unfortunately, the first patient passed away due to reasons unrelated to the study drug.

This resulted in a standard process of investigations causing delays in the treatment of the second patient.

The company indicated an ethics application is to be resubmitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital Ethic Committee to seek approval for advancing the clinical trial.

According to PharmAust, PPL-1 is an approved drug launched in recent years by one of the leading global animal health corporations for the treatment of parasitic diseases in animals.

PharmAust, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pitney Pharmaceuticals, owns patents on the use of PPL-1 in cancer and malignant disease.

Through New South Innovations (NSi), PharmAust has received royalty-free assignments of the intellectual property relating to the use of PPL-1 in cancer from the University of New South Wales.

The company claims research it and the St George Hospital has carried out into the mechanism of action of PPL-1 indicates important cancer inhibitory pathways are involved in the action of the molecule.

“It is sad and unfortunate that the first patient passed away in days after beginning treatment with PPL-1,” PharmAust’s executive chairman Dr Roger Aston said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securties Exchange.

“It should be noted that an inclusion criterion of the trial is that patients will have failed all other ‘Standards of Care’ – as such, some of the patients entering the trial may have significant progressive disease.

“The drug will be potentially administered to patients suffering from diverse cancers.

“Recruitment will include selection of patients suffering from lung, pancreas, oesophageal, gastric, colorectal, ovarian, breast, prostate, liver, sarcoma, lymphoma, and melanoma.”

Website: www.pharmaust.com