Cambridge, UK – Acacia Pharma, a pharmaceutical company specialising in the development of supportive care drugs, has successfully completed its first clinical trial, a Phase I study of its lead product candidate APD 405. Acacia is one of the few companies focused on supportive care, especially in patients with cancer. APD 405 is being developed for the prevention and treatment of nausea & vomiting, which remains a common problem after surgery and after treatment with many cancer chemotherapy drugs.
The trial was conducted in 29 healthy male and female volunteers and demonstrated that APD 405 is safe and well-tolerated across a range of doses. No serious adverse events occurred and no significant changes in blood chemistry, ECGs, vital signs and other clinical tests were seen. The results of the study support further development of APD 405 and a Phase II study in adult patients undergoing surgery is being prepared, with initiation planned for the first quarter of 2009.
Dr Julian Gilbert, Acacia Pharma’s CEO, said,
“We are delighted that our lead product candidate, APD 405, has passed its first test so soon and can now move into Phase II. The data show that APD 405 is safe at doses which we expect to have a beneficial clinical effect. We remain confident that APD 405, with its exciting, multiple modes of action, will represent an important advance for patients and physicians.”
APD 405 is an innovative intravenous formulation of a drug that is already widely available in tablet form. Acacia has identified a new use for this drug, the prophylaxis and treatment of nausea & vomiting, which is a global market worth more than $3 billion. The active ingredient within APD 405 hits two proven, complementary, anti-emetic pathways, which are expected to be especially valuable in reducing nausea. This is important because nausea is particularly difficult to prevent using existing drugs and can be very distressing for patients. Acacia believes that the multifactorial approach of APD 405 could be of particular benefit for more difficult-to-treat patients, for whom international guidelines recommend the use of more than one anti-emetic agent.
Contacts
Acacia Pharma
Dr Julian Gilbert
Telephone: +44 (0)1223 875132
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
David Dible
Dr Mark Swallow
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7638 9571
About Acacia Pharma
Acacia Pharma is a pharmaceutical company focused on supportive care, particularly cancer supportive care which is a rapidly developing commercial opportunity. The growth in the cancer supportive care market has been driven by the increasing incidence of cancer, the expansion of effective cancer therapies and the desire to improve both the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of life of cancer patients.
Acacia Pharma has generated a pipeline of product opportunities addressing a number of supportive care indications using a commercially driven approach to product discovery, based on known drugs. This strategy leads to product opportunities with a higher probability of success and enables rapid clinical proof-of concept. The Company’s lead product APD 405 for the prophylaxis and treatment of nausea & vomiting, has completed Phase I clinical development with Phase II planned for 1Q 2009. Acacia is also working on products for additional supportive care indications such as cancer cachexia, cancer fatigue and xerostomia. Acacia’s products are expected to reach the market quickly given that they are based on the novel use of well-characterised pharmaceuticals.
Acacia Pharma is led by an experienced management team who have already successfully built and exited a number of life sciences companies. Management and Gilde Healthcare are the Company’s key shareholders. Acacia Pharma is based in Cambridge, UK.