Lilly begins trials of anti-tumor drug; Isis to receive $750,000 milestone

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Feb. 1 - Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Eli Lilly and Co. has begun clinical trials of LY2275796 in cancer patients and will pay Isis a $750,000 milestone payment.

LY2275796 was discovered as part of a drug discovery collaboration between the companies and is the second drug candidate from this strategic alliance to advance into phase 1 development.

Lilly is funding the development of LY2275796 and will make additional milestone payments and royalties on product sales to Isis, according to a company news release.

"Advancing our second drug into clinical trials from the Isis-Lilly collaboration is an important milestone in the discovery and development of novel antisense drugs to treat significant diseases," C. Frank Bennett, senior vice president of antisense research at Isis, said in the release.

Isis said LY2275796, a second-generation antisense drug, targets eukaryotic initiation factor-4E, a protein involved in the translation of key growth and survival factors that contribute to tumor progression and the spread of cancers.

"Eukaryotic initiation factor-4E is a drug target that oncologists believe may play a key role in initiating and maintaining various cancers, yet considered 'undruggable' with traditional drug discovery technologies. Our specific and potent antisense drug has the potential to help patients suffering from cancer, including breast, head and neck, colon, prostate bladder, and lung cancer," Bennett said in the release.

Isis is a pharmaceutical company based in Carlsbad, Calif.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.