Point's talabostat shrinks tumors alone, in combination with erlotinib or pemetrexed

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 17 - Point Therapeutics Inc. said its lead product candidate talabostat demonstrated antitumor activity when combined with pemetrexed or erlotinib in a non-small lung cancer model in immunodeficient mice.

As a single agent, talabostat caused a 35% greater reduction in tumor size than pemetrexed alone, the company said. Administration of 500 mg/kg of pemetrexed alone did not significantly impact tumor growth.

Talabostat and pemetrexed combined achieved a 61% greater reduction in tumor size than pemetrexed alone.

As a single agent, talabostat caused a 33% greater reduction in tumor size than erlotinib alone, the company said.

Erlotinib and talabostat combined achieved a 57% greater reduction in tumor size than erlotinib alone.

"I am encouraged by our latest preclinical findings because we now have preclinical data showing talabostat's cooperative activity with the three approved drugs for second-line non-small cell lung cancer - two chemotherapies and an EGFr inhibitor," senior vice president Barry Jones said in a company news release.

The data was presented at the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, National Cancer Institute and American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Philadelphia.

The company plans to begin a phase 3 trial of the drug combinations.

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

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