Aptosyn in Two New Combination Therapy Lung Cancer Phase II Trials

HORSHAM, Pennsylvania—Cell Pathways, Inc. has announced that the National Cancer Institute is sponsoring two phase II studies of the company’s investigational drug Aptosyn (exisulind) in combination therapies for lung cancer. The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) is studying Aptosyn in combination with eto-poside (VePesid) and carboplatin (Paraplatin) in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) is investigating Aptosyn in combination with gemcitabine (Gem-zar) and carboplatin in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Aptosyn selectively triggers apopto-sis in cancerous and precancerous cells but not in normal cells by inhibiting certain cyclic GMP phosphodiesterases that are expressed at high levels in the abnormal cells.