CytRX Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company with an oncology pipeline that includes three programs in clinical development for cancer indications: bafetinib, tamibarotene and INNO-206.
The company yesterday announced that results from a series of preclinical studies demonstrate bafetinib potential as a prevention method against bone loss in cancer patients who are at high risk for this event.
An increase in bone resporption can cause bone deterioration. CytRX’s results showed that bafetinib significantly suppressed the level of osteoclasts and inhibited bone resorption.
“The consequences of bone loss in cancer patients due to increased bone resorption can be devastating, including fractures, bone pain and hypercalcemia. Prior studies indicated that Lyn and Fyn kinases have negative impacts on osteoclasts, thus potentially reducing bone resorption, which prompted us to evaluate bafetinib’s osteoclast inhibitory activity in bone deterioration using cells from multiple myeloma patients. We are encouraged by the results,” Dr. James R. Berenson, MD, leading multiple myeloma expert and medical and science director of the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, stated in the press release.
CytRx president and CEO Steven A. Kriegsman said bone loss is only one of several applications bafetinib may have in regards to oncology.
“Results from these first-ever studies evaluating bafetinib’s anti-bone resorptive effects showed that this kinase inhibitor could present a new therapeutic option to reduce skeletal complications in cancer patients. Reduction of bone loss represents one of multiple oncology indications in which bafetinib could represent an effective treatment,” Kriegsman stated.
CytRx said it is currently evaluating bafetinib in three ongoing clinical trials: the PROACT phase II proof-of-concept prostate cancer clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers; the ENABLE phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial in patients with a late-stage form of leukemia known as high-risk B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia; and a pharmacokinetic clinical trial in patients with recurrent brain tumors.
For more information visit http://www.cytrx.com
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