Polaris Group Announces Treatment of First Patient in Phase 1 Study of ADI-PEG 20 Plus Sorafenib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Dec 10, 2014, 01:30 ET

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Polaris Group announced today that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1 trial of ADI-PEG 20 in combination with sorafenib, a current first line therapy, for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Polaris Group is currently conducting clinical trials on ADI-PEG 20 in combination with cisplatin in melanoma and ovarian cancer, in combination with doxorubicin in HER2 negative breast cancer, in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine for advanced pancreatic cancer, and in combination with cisplatin and pemetrexed in malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-small cell lung carcinoma.

"ADI-PEG 20 is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy for HCC in a pivotal phase 3 study. The drug has been well tolerated. We are combining ADI-PEG 20 with sorafenib, as they have different mechanisms of action. Preclinical data suggests that they may work well together in combination," said John Bomalaski, M.D., Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs at Polaris. "New treatment approaches for HCC are clearly needed," he added.

About ADI-PEG 20

ADI-PEG 20 is a biologic being developed by Polaris Group to treat cancers, especially those carrying a major metabolic defect that renders such cancer cells, unlike normal cells, unable to internally synthesize arginine. Because arginine is one of the 20 amino acids that are essential for protein synthesis and survival of cells, it is believed these cancer cells become dependent upon the external supply of arginine to survive and grow. ADI-PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, which causes arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient's normal cells unharmed. Multiple cancers have been reported to have a high degree of arginine-dependency.

About Polaris Group

Polaris Group is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research and development of protein drugs to treat cancer and other debilitating diseases. The company's lead therapeutic, ADI-PEG 20, is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for hepatocellular carcinoma. Polaris Group is also investigating ADI-PEG 20 as a treatment for other cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancers, sarcoma, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer. In addition to the ADI-PEG 20 program, Polaris Group is researching and developing other biotherapeutic agents and is advancing a small molecule drug program that utilizes a rational structure-based approach to design novel compounds that inhibit the biological function of cancer-related protein targets.

For additional information please visit www.polarispharma.com

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SOURCE Polaris Group