US-based biopharmaceutical firm Tracon Pharmaceuticals has started dosing in a Phase Ib clinical of TRC105 for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
The trial evaluates the combination of TRC105 and a standard dose axitinib (Inlyta, Pfizer), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in these patients.
TRC105 is a novel monoclonal antibody to endoglin (CD105) and is currently being investigated in multiple studies in combination with other agents, including Avastin and other VEGF inhibitors.
Tracon president and CEO Charles Theuer said renal cell carcinoma is an angiogenesis driven tumor and despite multiple products approved to treat the disease, resistance to treatment remains a serious challenge.
"Combining TRC105 with axitinib in this study builds upon our clinical experience in combining TRC105 with bevacizumab (Avastin(R), Genentech/Roche), presented at ASCO in June, where data was presented indicating that the combination of TRC105 and anti-VEGF treatment was well-tolerated and shrank tumors in patients who failed prior treatment with VEGF inhibitors," Theuer added.
"This study is part of a broad development program for TRC105 that includes two ongoing randomized Phase 2b studies with Avastin(R) and a trial in combination with VEGF TKI treatment in sarcoma."
The trial is a multicenter, open-label, nonrandomized, Phase Ib, dose-finding study of TRC105 in combination with axitinib in renal cell carcinoma patients.