CyDex Licenses Captisol(R) to Sunesis Pharmaceuticals for Oncology Drug Candidate
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- Published on Friday, 04 May 2007 04:00
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LENEXA, KS, USA | May 3, 2007 | CyDex, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing improved products through innovative drug delivery, today announced an agreement licensing its Captisol(R) enabling technology to Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for formulation of a selective Aurora kinase inhibitor with potent anti-tumor activity across a number of nonclinical human cancer models.
CyDex’s patented Captisol technology improves water solubility, bioavailability and complexation characteristics of insoluble and/or unstable drugs. The CyDex pipeline of licensed and proprietary Captisol-enabled formulations targets a range of market segments including injectables, oral solutions and capsules, ophthalmic solutions, oral solids and inhalation.
CyDex granted Sunesis global rights to Captisol for a formulation of SNS-314 – a selective small molecule inhibitor of Aurora kinases that potently inhibits proliferation of a wide panel of human cancer cell lines. Aurora kinases are over expressed in several types of cancer, including colon, breast, ovarian, bladder, esophageal, gastric and pancreatic.
As demonstrated in multiple nonclinical models, the combination of potency, selectivity and robust in vivo activity, coupled with tumor growth inhibition through intermittent dosing, suggests that SNS-314 may be a best-in-class Aurora kinase inhibitor for the treatment of diverse human malignancies. An IND has been submitted for SNS-314, and a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with solid tumors is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2007. Sunesis Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel small molecule therapeutics for oncology and other serious diseases.
“Adding Sunesis to our roster of technology licensing partners is an important advance for CyDex,” said John M. Siebert, Ph.D., chief executive officer of CyDex. “We are pleased to be participating in the process of developing SNS-314 and potentially creating a significant new therapeutic alternative for oncology. Including SNS-314, our partners have a total of 23 licensed Captisol formulations involved in clinical trials around the world. We look forward to further expanding CyDex’s technology licensing activity in the months and years ahead. At the same time, we expect to continue making progress on our proprietary products strategy. Our current proprietary pipeline includes eight hospital acute care and four other Captisol-enabled drugs that have the potential to provide unique therapeutic benefits and satisfy unmet medical needs.”
About CyDex, Inc.
CyDex is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing proprietary products and licensing its Captisol(R) enabling technology. CyDex is bringing important new medications to patients by developing its own pipeline of proprietary products with advanced drug delivery solutions, and by partnering with the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Four Captisol-enabled drugs are currently being commercially marketed. These include Bristol Myers Squibb’s Abilify IM(TM), Pfizer Animal Health’s Cerenia(TM) and Geodon for Injection and Vfend IV, both marketed globally by Pfizer Inc. In addition, CyDex has development agreements with Allergan, Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Daiichi Asubio Pharma Co., Ltd., of Japan; Merck & Co., Inc.; Kanisa Pharmaceuticals(TM); Mitsubishi Corporation; OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; PTC Pharma AG; TargeGen, Inc.; Taisho Pharmaceuticals; and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. CyDex also has clinical use agreements with major pharma and biotech companies. CyDex is a privately held company located in suburban Kansas City. To learn more about the company, please visit www.cydexinc.com.
SOURCE: CyDex, Inc.