Point Therapeutics' Talabostat shows promise as single-agent therapy for melanoma, study says

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 11 - Point Therapeutics Inc. said initial results in the company's phase 2 study of its oral anti-cancer drug candidate Talabostat include one patient who experienced a reduction in tumor size greater than 30% and one patient whose tumor disappeared completely.

The trial includes 42 patients with stage-four metastatic melanoma, 31 of whom were evaluable for response.

The current survival estimate for patients taking single-agent Talabostat is 7.1 months, compared to an expected 4.4 months for patients receiving no treatment, the company said.

"The results in this trial suggest that Talabostat is demonstrating biological and clinical activity in melanoma as a single agent, which is not often seen in this disease. The convenience of oral dosing is also attractive," said lead investigator Thomas Gajewski of the University of Chicago Medical Center in a company news release.

The company's metastatic melanoma clinical program also includes studying Talabostat in combination with Cisplatin. Interim results show that four of 42 patients have experienced a 30% or greater reduction in tumor size.

Median progression-free survival in patients taking the Talabostat/Cisplatin combination is currently 2.8 months, compared to the historically reported 1.4 to 1.6 months for Dacarbazine, the only approved chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma, the company said.

The initial results will be presented at the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer meeting in Alexandria, Va.

Point is a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company that develops dipeptidyl peptidase inhibitors for use as vaccine adjuvants and in cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

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