SuperGen: studies show Nipent works as well as other chemotherapeutics with less toxicity

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Dec. 9 - SuperGen, Inc. announced Friday that five studies of its anticancer drug Nipent (pentostatin for injection) in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents to treat chemotherapy-naive B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease demonstrated positive results.

A combination regimen of pentostatin, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (PCR) is suggested to have comparable activity to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR), but may be better-tolerated and less toxic in patients with previously treated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a company news release.

The response frequencies were virtually identical in both treatment groups with responses seen in 75% of PCR treated patients and 73% of FCR treated patients and a complete response achieved in 25% in both studies, officials said.

In terms of toxicity, however, the studies showed that PCR treatment caused less neutropenia, less thrombocytopenia, less anemia and less infection than treatment with FCR, officials said.

In addition, the studies suggest that pentostatin may be beneficial in the treatment of children and adolescents with chronic graft versus host disease. The therapy was well-tolerated with infections, such as mucormycosis, pneumonia, disseminated fungal infection and fungal pneumonia, officials said.

Abstracts from these studies will be presented this weekend at the American Society Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta.

Other related abstracts appear in the November issue of Blood, officials said.

SuperGen is a Dublin, Calif., pharmaceutical company dedicated to the acquisition, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors, hematological malignancies and blood disorders.

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