EpiCept: Myriad triggers milestone payment for Azixa: Clinical Trials Look Promising

SAN FRANCISCO -- EpiCept Corp. Monday evening said Myriad Genetics Inc. has reported positive clinical results for Azixa, a compound discovered by EpiCept and licensed to Myriad. Based on the results, Myriad intends to initiate Phase II clinical trials, triggering a milestone payment to EpiCept. According to EpiCept, Myriad has reported that Azixa in cancer that has metastasized to the brain has achieved its maximum tolerated dose in patients, and there was a measured reduction in tumor size in certain patients.


Remember that metastasized means that the cancer cells have left the primary tumor site and relocated to another part of the body. The Phase I results mean that the drug is not toxic and has favorable pharmacokinetics.

Azixa(MPC-6827) is a novel small molecule inhibitor of microtubule formation that has demonstrated the ability to inhibit tumor growth in nonclinical testing, [in vitro and animals] with activity in animal models of human melanoma and cancers of the ovary, breast, prostate, colon and pancreas. In nonclinical testing, Azixa has been equally active against multiple drug resistant cancers as with susceptible tumors, unlike many of the current options in cancer chemotherapy, a limitation that represents a significant unmet medical need.

Among others, microtubule inhibitor drugs have been around for a long time. The best example of this class of drugs is taxol. Cells need to use microtubules like the bones in your body; they are the bones, along with actin, of the cell. The cancer cell divides a lot, so it has to continually depolymerize [break down] and then remake [polymerize] the microtubules. If the microtubules are forced to stay polymerized, the cell will under-go apoptosis (you should be reading...an earlier word of the day was apoptosis....cells committing suicide)

The most interesting thing about this drug is that it activates caspaces ( see earlier posts) selectively to help kill cancer cells. How it is targeted to specific tumor cells for caspaces remains to be seen.

Myriad closed up today 19 cents at 23.73 in about average trading. Epicept closed down 7 cents to 1.70 in robust trading. As a personal thought, I'm thinking of getting some action on Epicept. If these deals continue, may be up by the end of the year.