AstraZeneca Announces Top-Line Results of OSKIRA-4 Phase IIb Study of Fostamatinib as a Monotherapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

AstraZeneca today announced top-line results of OSKIRA-4, a Phase IIb monotherapy study of fostamatinib, the first kinase inhibitor with selectivity for SYK (spleen tyrosine kinase) in development as an oral treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

OSKIRA-4 was a six month study evaluating improvements in signs and symptoms of RA in 280 patients who had never previously used a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), were DMARD intolerant or had an inadequate response to DMARDs and were randomised to receive fostamatinib as a monotherapy, adalimumab as a monotherapy, or placebo.  Three dose regimens of fostamatinib were evaluated in OSKIRA-4: 100mg twice daily, 100mg twice daily for a month followed by 150mg once daily, and 100mg twice daily for a month followed by 100mg once daily.

Telik Announces Telintra® Clinical Publication at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology

Telik, Inc. (TELK) announced today the publication of a clinical trial abstract in the proceedings of the 54^th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia.  The abstract, "Oral Ezatiostat HCl (Telintra), a Glutathione Analog Prodrug GSTP1-1 Inhibitor, for Treatment of Patients with Myeloid Growth Factor-Resistant Idiopathic Chronic Neutropenia (ICN)," by Roger M. Lyons, MD; Sharon T. Wilks, MD; and of David J. Friedman MD, PhD, of Cancer Care Centers of South Texas, US Oncology in San Antonio, Texas; and Shelby A. Young, RN, BSN, and Gail L. Brown, MD, of Telik, Inc., in Palo Alto, California, is available online at Blood (ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts) 2012 120: Abstract 4394.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Announces Positive Top Line REOLYSIN® Data for First Endpoint in Randomized Phase III Study in Head and Neck Cancers

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics" or the "Company") (TSX:ONC.TO - News) (NASDAQ:ONCY - News) today announced initial positive top line data from the first endpoint in its double-blinded randomized Phase III clinical study examining REOLYSIN in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in second-line patients with platinum-refractory, taxane-naïve head and neck cancers (REO 018).

The endpoint examines initial percentage tumour changes between the pre-treatment and first post-treatment scans (typically performed at six weeks post-first treatment) of all patients enrolled in the study. The analysis was designed to assess early differences in response between loco-regional tumours and metastatic tumours, as classified and observed by the investigators. This is the first, and to this point only, endpoint to be un-blinded for this study.

Gilead Sciences to Acquire YM Biosciences