Peregrine says Tarvacin plus radiation or chemotherapy increases survival

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., April 3 - Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced Monday that its first-in-class anti-phospholipid agent Tarvacin (bavituximab) significantly increases survival in cisplatin-resistant breast cancer and radiotherapy-resistant brain cancer when given as part of a combination regimen.

Recent studies confirmed that Tarvacin's unique phospholipid target is up-regulated after cisplatin or radiation therapy, thereby contributing to the demonstrated efficacy of the combination regimens, according to a news release.

These studies are expected to facilitate the design of Tarvacin clinical studies in breast and brain cancer after completion of the current ongoing phase l cancer trial, the release said.

Tarvacin is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a phospholipid called phosphatidylserine, a component of the cell structure that is usually located inside normal cells but which becomes exposed on the outside of the cells that line the blood vessels of tumors, creating a specific target for anticancer treatments.

In February, Peregrine said it successfully completed enrollment in a Tarvacin phase l clinical trial for the treatment of chronic hepatitis-C virus infection, reporting that the drug appeared to be safe and well-tolerated.

Peregrine is a biopharmaceutical company based in Tustin, Calif.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.