NanOlogy Completes Dose Escalation Portion of Phase 2 Trial of Unique NanoPac for Prostate Cancer

NanOlogy LLC, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical development company, has completed the dose escalation phase of an open-label clinical trial of NanoPac (submicron particle paclitaxel (Taxol) sterile suspension) injected directly into the tumor area for treatment of prostate cancer. Successful completion of the dose escalation phase has allowed the highest concentration of NanoPac to begin the dose confirmation phase of the trial, which will continue to generate data on safety and tumor response.
The Phase 2a trial is enrolling patients with local prostate cancer scheduled for prostatectomy. In the trial, patients receive intratumoral injection of NanoPac 28 days before surgery. Tumor volume and prostate tissue biopsy taken prior to NanoPac administration is compared to tumor volume and tissue after surgery.

In the dose escalation phase to determine highest concentration of drug which can be safely administered, 6 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL concentrations of NanoPac were each injected into three patient cohorts followed by safety review for each cohort. No drug related serious adverse events were reported in any of the cohorts and preliminary data show evidence of tumor reduction and tumor cell death.

“NanoPac is injected directly into the cancerous lobe of the prostate under MRI/TRUS fusion guidance,” said Andre Abreu, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology, Co-director of Image-Guided Surgery & Focal Therapy of Prostate and Kidney Cancer at the University of Southern California’s Institute of Urology. “The drug injected locally has been well tolerated to date and we have progressed into the dose confirmation phase of the trial to further assess safety and tumor response.”

Dr. Abreu added, “If we are successful, we may offer a treatment option for moderate or high-risk patients with localized or non-metastatic disease potentially providing better oncologic outcomes while minimizing side-effects of chemotherapy, and therefore maintaining quality of life.”

Prostate cancer affects an estimated 3 million men in the US with about 160,000 new cases and 27,000 deaths annually. Patients at higher risk for disease progression or those in whom the cancer has spread may face surgical removal of the prostate or radiation therapy. Unfortunately, these patients often suffer incontinence or impotence, which significantly decrease quality of life.