News Release

PharmaMar presents new data on the treatment of MM and OC at the AACR Congress

The biopharmaceutical company has reported new data on the mechanism of action of plitidepsin and lurbinectedin

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pharmamar

PharmaMar (PHM:MSE) has presented new data on the mechanism of action of plitidepsin and lurbinectedin during the Annual Congress of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), which is being held in Washington D.C. (United States) on 1-5 April.

"To continue working so oncological patients can enjoy access to innovative treatments is a commitment PharmaMar acquired from the outset, one that lies behind every one of our decisions", says Luis Mora, the Managing Director of PharmaMar's Oncology Unit. He added that "plitidepsin and lurbinectedin are the nearest future of our company's portfolio and we hope that they will become a reality in clinical oncological practice so that, together with Yondelis®, they deliver new options to patients and specialists."

Studies presented by PharmaMar at the AACR2017 Congress

  • Plitidepsin targets the moonlighting functions of eEF1A2 in cancer. Losada A, et al. Poster presentation, Section 5, Monday 3 April, 8.00am-12.00pm

PharmaMar announced last year that the eEF1A2 protein had been identified as a pharmacological target for this molecule. Continuing with this line of research, the company has observed that plitidepsin acts by inhibiting some of the functions of this protein (eEF1A2) and promoting cancer cell death.

  • Lurbinectedin reverses platinum dependent IRF1 overexpression and nuclear localization, partially responsible for resistance to platinum drugs in ovarian cancer. Santamaría G, et al. Poster presentation, Section 6, Monday 3 April, 8.00am-12.00pm

Lurbinectedin is a compound under clinical investigation that belongs to the RNA polymerase II enzyme inhibitor family. This enzyme is essential to the transcription process and inhibits tumour growth which causes the death of the tumour. This study demonstrates the capacity of lurbinectedin to reverse cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells caused by the over-expression of the IRF-1 transcription factor. In these cell models, the synergy of the lurbinectedin and cisplatin combination was established.

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About Aplidin® (plitidepsin)

Plitidepsin is an investigational anticancer agent of marine origin, originally obtained from the ascidian Aplidium albicans. It specifically binds to the eEF1A2 and targets the non-canonical role of this protein, resulting in tumor cell death via apoptosis (programmed death). Plitidepsin is currently in clinical development for hematological cancers, including a Phase III study in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, a Phase Ib trial in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma as a triple combination of plitidepsin, bortezomib and dexamethasone, and a Phase II study in relapsed or refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Plitidepsin has received orphan drug desigantion by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

About PM1183 (lurbinectedin)

PM1183 is a compound under clinical investigation. It is an inhibitor of RNA polymerase II. This enzyme is essential for the transcription process that is over-activated in tumors with transcription addiction. The antitumor efficacy of lurbinectedin is being investigated in various types of solid tumors, including a Phase III study for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, a Phase II study for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2-associated metastatic breast cancer and a Phase III study for small cell lung cancer.

About PharmaMar

Headquartered in Madrid, PharmaMar is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company in the discovery and development of innovative marine-derived anticancer drugs. The company has an important pipeline of drug candidates and a robust R&D oncology program. PharmaMar develops and commercializes YONDELIS® in Europe and has other three clinical-stage programs under development for several types of solid and hematological cancers, PM1183, plitidepsin, and PM60184. PharmaMar is a global biopharmaceutical company with subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. PharmaMar fully owns other companies: GENOMICA, Spain's leading molecular diagnostics company; Sylentis, dedicated to researching therapeutic applications of gene silencing (RNAi); and two other chemical enterprises, Zelnova Zeltia and Xylazel. To learn more about PharmaMar, please visit us at http://www.pharmamar.com.


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