Stockholm, 2016-12-20 08:30 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
PledPharma today announces overall survival data from the Phase IIb study PLIANT with PledOx® - a drug candidate that reduces the incidence of chemotherapy induced nerve damage. The 20-month follow-up indicates that PledOx® does not appear to impact the anticancer effect of chemotherapy and patient survival rates negatively.
The follow-up data presented today is based on a comparison of the proportion of surviving patients in each treatment arm, 20 months after inclusion into the study. No difference in overall survival was noted between the patients who received PledOx® and those who received placebo. There was also no indication of any difference in survival between the different doses of PledOx® included in the study.
It can therefore be concluded that treatment with PledOx® does not appear to negatively affect the efficacy of the cancer therapy. This conclusion is supported by tumor measurements carried out during chemotherapy, as well as previous data on progression-free survival reported at 12 months after completion of treatment.
"There is a great need to reduce the incidence of nerve damage that all too often affects patients treated with chemotherapy. The results presented today strengthen our conviction that PledOx® has the potential to significantly improve the treatment of tumor diseases," said Sten Nilsson, Professor of Oncology and Board member of PledPharma.
"PledOx® is the first drug candidate shown to prevent chemotherapy induced nerve damage in a clinically meaningful way without negatively interfering with the cancer treatment. With these positive results from the PLIANT study, we are now looking forward to taking the project through the final phase III studies," said Jacques Näsström, CEO, PledPharma.
For more information, please contact:
Jacques Näsström, CEO, phone: +46 737 130 979
Michaela Gertz, CFO, phone: +46 709 26 17 75
About PledPharma
PledPharma develops new drugs that protect the body against oxidative stress – a potentially debilitating and sometimes life-threatening condition that can be caused by chemotherapy treatment and following acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose. The company's most advanced project PledOx® reduces nerve damage associated with chemotherapy and positive results from the Phase IIb study PLIANT were presented during the spring of 2015. The drug candidate Aladote® is being developed to reduce the risk of acute liver failure associated with acetaminophen poisoning.
PledPharma (STO: PLED) is listed on Nasdaq First North. Erik Penser Bank is the company’s Certified Adviser (tel +46 8 463 80 00). For more information, see www.pledpharma.se
This information is information that PledPharma AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at CET 8:30 on December 20 2016.
