Prescient nabs two US patents for cancer drug

Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) has been granted two more US patents covering cancer drug candidate PTX-200.

The company has secured a patent protecting the company’s method of treating chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer with PTX-200 and a second providing coverage for treating various cancer types by combining PTX-200 with trastuzumab.

PTX-200, or tricirbine phosphate monohydrate, is an AKT inhibitor with applications in treatments for patients who have become resistant to platinum-based cancer drugs.

Prescient is currently involved in a phase Ib/II trial of PTX-200 in combination with transtuzumab in ovarian cancer.

Managing director Dr Robert Crombie said the company believes that the treatment candidate has significant potential to improve the clinical outcome for women with chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.

“Currently approximately half of the patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die from metastatic disease as they become resistant to the platinum-based drugs that constitute front-line therapy,” he said. “Prescient’s drug candidate PTX200 is aiming to minimise this resistance.”

Prescient is separately trialling PTX-200 in breast cancer and plans to commence a phase Ib/II trial in patients with acute leukaemias that have become refractory to cytarabine.

The company also holds the exclusive worldwide licence to a second anti-cancer compound, PTX-100, in multiple myeloma, breast and pancreatic cancer.

Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) shares were trading 10% higher at $0.110 as of around 2 pm on Monday.

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