B.R. pharmaceutical company begins new trials on ovarian cancer drug

Esperance Pharmaceuticals, a Baton Rouge-based company founded on technology developed at LSU, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the LSU AgCenter, announced today it has begun enrollment of a randomized, multicenter Phase 2 trial of its lead drug, EP-100. The drug, which will undergo trials in combination with paclitaxel, could serve as a targeted treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. Esperance CEO Hector Alila has compared EP-100 to a “guided missile,” saying “it seeks and destroys only those [cancer] cells without harming normal cells.” The EP-100 Phase 2 study is enrolling five to eight patients in an attempt to confirm the maximum safe dose of the drug, in combination with paclitaxel. The randomized study will later enroll 40 patients randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either the standard weekly dose of paclitaxel or the same regimen of paclitaxel plus twice weekly EP-100 doses for three of four weeks, during each of six cycles. Complete details of the trial can be found here. Results of a Phase 1 study of EP-100 in advanced solid tumors will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in June. “Based on our successful Phase 1 study and results of preclinical studies, we believe there is a compelling rationale for the study of EP-100 in ovarian cancer,” says Alila. “We are hopeful EP-100 may hold promise for this patient population with very few treatment options.” Read a Business Report cover story from October on Esperance here.