Antisoma and Heraeus sign agreement for manufacture of AS1410

Cancer drug developer Antisoma has signed an agreement with German specialist manufacturer Heraeus to provide supplies of AS1410 for clinical trials. Development of the drug, which is Antisoma's lead telomere targeting agent (TTA), has progressed rapidly, and the company now expects its plan to start clinical trials next year will be achieved during the first half of 2006.

TTAs attack cancer cells by binding directly to telomeres, which are regions at the ends of chromosomes. Data presented at the 2005 meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research showed that treatment with AS1410 more than halved the growth rate of a human prostate cancer xenograft. Moreover, the drug has the benefit of a relatively rapid onset of action, affecting tumour growth after only seven days' treatment in the prostate model. AS1410 has broad commercial potential because telomeres play a major role in the survival and proliferation of cells in all types of cancer.

Glyn Edwards, CEO of Antisoma, said: 'We're pleased to renew our successful collaboration with Heraeus and to bring closer the clinical trials of AS1410. With our ATTACK agent AS1409 also expected to enter the clinic next year, we look forward to a considerable enhancement of our pipeline through the addition of two high-potential products.'