Tous Actualités
Suivre
Abonner Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company

Investigational Targeted Therapy May Offer Progress For Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients

Indianapolis (ots/PRNewswire)

Data presented today offer
evidence that an investigational targeted therapy may be useful in
treating patients with the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
(NHL).
The five-year survival rate of U.S. patients with NHL is only 59
percent with standard therapies, according to the Lymphoma Research
Foundation. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most
frequent form of NHL(1). Conventional therapies improve outcomes for
some patients, but researchers continue to study new therapies.
Phase II data presented today at the American Society of
Hematology (ASH) 47th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta,
Georgia, showed enzastaurin HCl, an investigational compound from
Lilly Oncology, slowed the progression of DLBCL in several patients
pretreated with chemotherapy.
"The potential use of enzastaurin in relapsed diffuse large B-cell
lymphoma is important for two reasons," said Margaret A. Shipp, M.D.
director of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center's lymphoma program and
the senior investigator in the clinical trial. "One, it could
represent a rational inhibitor of an identified target and, two,
several patients with aggressive chemo-insensitive disease have shown
prolonged responses to this single, oral agent."
Enzastaurin inhibits the PKC-Beta and AKT/P13 pathways. This
protein, PKC-Beta, stimulates cell growth. Based on scientific
rationale from initial multicenter studies led by Shipp and from
independent confirmatory studies by other investigators, an
overexpression of PKC-Beta was identified as being linked to poor
outcomes for patients with DLBCL. Enzastaurin, created to target
PKC-Beta, was seen as a worthy candidate for further study in these
patients.
In addition, preclinical data indicate that enzastaurin may have
additional effects on cutting off the tumor's blood supply
(anti-angiogenesis ), increasing the natural death of tumor cells
(apoptosis) and reducing the cell's ability to reproduce (cell
proliferation).
The Phase II multicenter clinical trial evaluated 55 DLBCL
patients previously treated with a median of two other therapies, but
like many patients with this aggressive cancer, they experienced
relapses. Data, presented at ASH by Michael J. Robertson, director of
Indiana University Cancer Center's lymphoma program, showed 22
percent (12 of 55) of study participants treated with enzastaurin
were free of disease progression for two months. A quarter of those
patients remained progression free with continued responses of 1.5
years to more than three years in duration.
Overall, enzastaurin was well tolerated in this patient population
and clinical results show that patients treated with enzastaurin
experienced minimal side effects. Seven reports of grade 3 side
effects were reported in this trial which included fatigue,
thrombocytopenia (a low level of platelets in the blood), headache,
motor neuropathy (pain, numbness and weak muscles), and edema
(swelling caused by excess fluid), with only one patient experiencing
grade 4 hypomagnesemia (low levels of magnesia in the blood).
"We at Lilly are excited by the potential for enzastaurin in the
treatment of patients with recurrent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,"
said Richard Gaynor, M.D., vice president, cancer research and global
oncology platform leader for Eli Lilly and Company.
Today's data support continued development of enzastaurin, and
Lilly will soon begin enrolling patients in a Phase III registration
trial. Researchers will be evaluating enzastaurin to determine if it
can delay relapse in patients who have already undergone treatment
for DLBCL and have achieved remission following the standard of care.
In addition to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and glioblastoma, enzastaurin
will be evaluated in other tumor areas such as colon cancer,
non-small cell lung cancer and mantle cell lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is the most common cancer of the lymphatic
system. Since the early 1970s, U.S. incidence rates for non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma have nearly doubled. Over the 25-year period between 1973
and 1998, new cases of NHL seen each year escalated almost 83
percent, among the highest increases of any cancer. Of the nearly
500,000 Americans with lymphoma, 332,000 have this form. In 2005,
approximately 56,390 new cases of NHL will be diagnosed and 19,200
Americans will die from the disease(2).
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a
growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical
products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide
laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific
organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides
answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the
world's most urgent medical needs. P-LLY
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the
potential of the investigational compound enzastaurin (LY317615) and
reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical
product under development, there are substantial risks and
uncertainties in the process of development and regulatory review.
There is no guarantee that the product will receive regulatory
approvals, or that the regulatory approval will be for the
indication(s) anticipated by the company. There is also no guarantee
that the product will prove to be commercially successful. For
further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see
Lilly's filing with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking
statements.
Gemzar(R) (gemcitabine, Eli Lilly and Company)
    Alimta(R) (pemetrexed, Eli Lilly and Company)
(1)Lymphoma Research Foundation, "Learning About Lymphoma,"
Lymphoma Research Foundation, February 2005, http://www.lymphoma.org
(November 9, 2005)
(2)Lymphoma Research Foundation, "Learning About Lymphoma,"
Lymphoma Research Foundation, February 2005, http://www.lymphoma.org
(November 9, 2005)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )

Contact:

Carla L. Cox of Eli Lilly and Company, +1-317-651-1473 (office),
+1-888-446-5740 (pager), or Email: clcox@lilly.com/ Photo: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO/ PRN Photo Desk,
photodesk@prnewswire.com

Plus de actualités: Eli Lilly and Company
Plus de actualités: Eli Lilly and Company