SAN DIEGO, Feb. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TRACON Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted therapies for oncology and ophthalmology, today announced the initiation of dosing in a clinical trial evaluating the combination of TRC105 and Votrient® (pazopanib, GlaxoSmithKline), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, to treat patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. TRC105, a novel monoclonal antibody to endoglin (CD105), is being studied in multiple clinical trials in combination with agents that target the VEGF pathway.
"Preclinical and clinical data combining TRC105 with Avastin® support the hypothesis that endoglin mediates resistance to VEGF inhibitor treatment. Soft tissue sarcoma is an angiogenesis-driven tumor and certain sarcoma subtypes directly express endoglin on tumor cells," said Charles Theuer, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of TRACON. "Combining TRC105 with Votrient has the potential to enhance activity by targeting both the tumor vasculature and the tumor itself. We look forward to working with our investigators in this study and building upon our clinical experience in combining TRC105 with agents that target the VEGF pathway."
The clinical trial is a multicenter, open-label, nonrandomized, Phase 1b dose-finding study of TRC105 in combination with standard dose Votrient® in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. For additional information on this clinical trial, please visit the clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01975519.
The TRC105 development program includes two ongoing randomized Phase 2b studies with Avastin® (bevacizumab) in renal cell carcinoma and glioblastoma, a combination study with Inlyta® (axitinib) in renal cell carcinoma, and a combination study with Nexavar® (sorafenib) in hepatocellular carcinoma.
About TRC105
TRC105 is a novel, first-in-class, clinical stage antibody to endoglin (CD105), an endothelial cell receptor that is essential for the process of new blood vessel formation called angiogenesis. TRC105 is currently being studied in multiple clinical trials in cancer patients, sponsored by both TRACON and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) and is expected to complement VEGF inhibitor therapies (including Avastin®). TRC105 is also expected to complement VEGF inhibitor treatments (e.g., Eylea® and Lucentis®) in age-related macular degeneration. For more information about the clinical trials, please visit TRACON's website at http://www.traconpharma.com/clinical_trials.php.
About TRACON
TRACON Pharmaceuticals develops targeted therapies for people with cancer and age-related macular degeneration. The current pipeline includes two clinical-stage product candidates, each addressing a unique cellular process, that are expected to complement currently available therapies. TRACON aims to develop effective and well-tolerated treatments for underserved populations with the ultimate goal of enhancing survival and quality of life. To learn more about the company and its products, visit TRACON's website at www.traconpharma.com.