Independent Australian-based pharmaceutical company Specialised Therapeutics Asia (STA) has announced it has secured an exclusive license deal with US-based Onconova Therapeutics for the commercialisation of a new treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).
The intravenous therapy, known as rigosertib, is currently in a phase 3 clinical study assessing its safety and efficacy for higher-risk MDS (HR-MDS) patients who have progressed on, failed to respond to, or relapsed after first-line treatment.
MDS includes a group of diseases that impact the production of normal blood cells in the bone marrow. It can present in patients of any age but is more common in seniors with 90 per cent of patients diagnosed over age 60.
The company said the trial is over 90 per cent enrolled and has clinical trial sites open in Australia.
According to STA CEO, Carlo Montagner, patients with high-risk MDS have limited treatment options following currently available first-line treatment.
“There is no currently approved treatment following failure of standard chemotherapy with hypomethylating agents. Patients are left with the option of entering clinical trials if available, or supportive care,” he said.
“If approved, rigosertib would address a clear unmet medical need and may be a valuable inclusion to the STA therapeutic portfolio.
“We are delighted to enter into this collaboration with Onconova and look forward to the results of the ongoing phase III INSPIRE trial of intravenous (IV) rigosertib.”
“We are pleased to partner with Specialised Therapeutics Asia, which has a strong track record of commercialising new products in oncology and haematology across Australia and New Zealand," said Onconova Therapeutics’ President and CEO Dr Steven Fruchtman
"We look forward to working together and following a successful readout of the ongoing INSPIRE Trial, potentially providing rigosertib as a new therapeutic option for patients diagnosed with MDS.”