New drug combination passes safety test in pancreatic cancer

New Rochelle, NY, March 19, 2020–A new study has shown a novel peptide antagonist, given in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor, to be safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced, refractory pancreatic and rectal cancer. The highest dose tested had a good safety profile and was recommended for use in future patient trials, as reported in Journal of Pancreatic Cancer, a peer-reviewed open access publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text open access article free on the Journal of Pancreatic Cancer website.

“Safety and Pharmacokinetics of CXCR4 Peptide Antagonist, LY2510924, in Combination with Durvalumab in Advanced Refractory Solid Tumors” was coauthored by Mark O’Hara, MD, Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues from University of Colorado School of Medicine, The University of Chicago Medicine, Eli Lilly and Company, Astra Zeneca, and Washington University Medical School in St. Louis.

The purpose of this open label phase 1a study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose, safety, and tolerability of LY2510924, a CXCR4 peptide antagonist with proven, significant antitumor activity in preclinical studies, given in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor durvalumab. The study patients had advanced pancreatic or rectal cancer that did not respond to other treatment. Patients received 20, 30, or 40 mg of LY2510924 daily together with 1500 mg of durvalumab on day 1 of each 28-day cycle. No adverse events resulted in death or the need to discontinue treatment with any of the three doses, leading to the conclusion that the highest dose of LY2510924, 40 mg, daily is safe and well-tolerated and should be used in the next phase of studies. The researchers also reported that a best response of stable disease was seen in 44% of patients in the trial.

Journal of Pancreatic Cancer Editor-in-Chief Charles J. Yeo, MD, Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, states: “The Journal was pleased to publish this phase 1 study using a CXCR4 peptide antagonist with a PD-1 inhibitor in eight patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The combination yielded tolerable side effects and some patients showing a certain degree of disease stability.”

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Journal of Pancreatic Cancer is the only peer-reviewed open access journal focused solely on pancreatic cancer. Led by Editor-in-Chief, Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, the Journal covers the clinical, translational and basic science of malignancies of the pancreas and the peripancreatic region. The Journal provides a single open forum for communicating the advancement of science and treatments for pancreatic cancer. Complete content can be viewed on the Journal of Pancreatic Cancer website.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and medicine, including Journal of Palliative Medicine, Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, and Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.