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Tuesday, 08 April 2003 Skin cancer phase 2 trial approved for oral phenoxodiol The trial is being conducted at Sydneys Royal North Shore Hospital under the supervision of dermatologist, Professor Alan Cooper and medical oncologist, Dr Helen Wheeler. The objective of the study is to test the anti-tumour effectiveness and the safety of low doses of phenoxodiol administered orally to patients with Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma, the two most common forms of skin cancer. Other Squamous Cell tumours include cancer of the cervix, mouth and lung. Phenoxodiol is an Australian-developed anti-cancer drug that belongs to a new generation of drugs known as signal transduction inhibitors. These drugs work by inducing programmed cell death in cancer cells (apoptosis), with little or no effect on normal cells. Professor Cooper said his interest in clinically trialling phenoxodiol stemmed from a pilot study which suggested the drug might be able to target many different types of human cancers. We have sufficient positive anecdotal evidence of anti-tumour activity for phenoxodiol on skin cancers to warrant a formal investigation of this drug, Professor Cooper said. Especially encouraging is phenoxodiols apparent absence of toxicity in treating patients whose general health and well being is already severely compromised. Professor Cooper said a total of 30 patients would be recruited with each patient taking phenoxodiol for up to 12 weeks. The Royal North Shore study followed the presentation of data on phenoxodiol by Yale University researchers last week in Washington DC. The Yale report demonstrated how the drug worked and noted that disease regression or stabilisation had been realised in some ovarian cancer patients. More information on phenoxodiol and on the Company can be found at www.marshalledwardsinc.com. Marshall Edwards Inc. is listed on the London Stock Exchanges Alternative Investment Market (MSH) and is 95 per cent owned by ASX and NASDAQ-listed Novogen Limited (ASX: NRT, NASDAQ: NVGN).
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