DALLAS, Dec. 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arog Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs to treat unmet medical needs in oncology, today announced that clinical data from its lead product candidate, crenolanib, continue to demonstrate best-in-class properties in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 mutations. Analyses from Phase II clinical studies of crenolanib were presented at the 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Highlights of the presented data include:
Title: Full Doses of Crenolanib, a Type I FLT3 Inhibitor, Can be Safely Administered in AML Patients Post Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant (Abstract #4359)
In a poster presentation of a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent HSCT prior to crenolanib treatment across two Phase II trials of crenolanib monotherapy in AML (Studies ARO-004 and ARO-005), Robert Collins, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, presented:
Title: Population Pharmacokinetics of Crenolanib, a Type I FLT3 Inhibitor, in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory AML (Abstract #3695)
In a poster presentation of pharmacokinetic data from two Phase II trials of crenolanib monotherapy in AML (ARO-004 and ARO-005), John Carl Panetta, Ph.D., St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, presented:
Title: Exome Sequencing Informs Mechanisms of Clinical Resistance to the FLT3 Inhibitor Crenolanib (Abstract #2468)
In a poster presentation of whole exome sequencing of 42 AML patients treated with crenolanib, Jeffrey Tyner, M.D., Oregon Health & Sciences University, presented:
About Arog Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Arog Pharmaceuticals is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that has leveraged its platform of benzimidazole derivatives to develop a robust drug pipeline of orally available, potent, and selective small molecule type I kinase inhibitors. Arog is poised to enroll patients in pivotal, randomized Phase III trials of its lead molecule, crenolanib. In addition to the four clinical trials it has already completed, Arog is also engaged in three ongoing Phase II clinical trials. For more information, please visit the company's website, http://www.arogpharma.com.
About Crenolanib
Arog's lead molecule, crenolanib, is currently being clinically investigated as a treatment for multiple cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), glioma, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is an orally bioavailable benzimidazole type I kinase inhibitor that selectively and potently inhibits signaling of wild-type and mutant isoforms of class III receptor tyrosine kinases FLT3 and PDGFRα/β. This molecule has an established record of patient safety and has been used to treat over 250 patients from around the world.
About FLT3
FLT-3 is a class III receptor tyrosine kinase, and its signaling is considered important for the normal development of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells. The FLT-3 gene is one of the most frequently mutated genes (~35%) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). One such mutation, internal tandem duplications of FLT-3 (FLT3-ITD), is a prognostic indicator associated with adverse disease outcome.
About PDGFRα/β
Platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR) α and β are cell surface tyrosine kinase receptors and are important factors regulating cell proliferation and cell development, as well as several diseases, including cancers like brain tumors and sarcomas. In clinical tests, crenolanib has been shown to inhibit both PDGFR α and β phosphorylation, thus preventing downstream signaling.