CASI initiates ENMD-2076 Phase 2 trial in Chinese patients with triple-negative breast cancer

CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the acquisition, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics addressing cancer and other unmet medical needs for the global market with a commercial focus on China, announces that it has initiated a Phase 2 trial of its target therapy drug candidate ENMD-2076 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing, China. Binghe Xu, MD, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences is the principal investigator of the trial.

This Phase 2 trial is an expansion of the current U.S. Phase 2 trial that is underway at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and the Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center at Indiana University. The China trial will assess safety and efficacy of ENMD-2076 in the Chinese patient population with correlative bio-marker analysis.

"We are very pleased that we have initiated the first clinical trial in China for ENMD-2076 and very much look forward to see how it might benefit Chinese patients," commented Rong Chen, MD, Ph.D., CASI's Chief Medical Officer. "Data from this China study will bolster data that is currently being collected at the two U.S. sites and will provide valuable information as we continue the development of ENMD-2076 for this cancer indication."

Ken K. Ren, Ph.D., CASI's Chief Executive Officer also commented, "We are very pleased and thankful to Dr. Xu and the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences for taking the lead in our China trials. Their experience in clinical research of solid tumors, especially in breast cancer, as well as expertise in clinical trials of new anticancer agents will be invaluable to the trial going forward in China as well as to our overall global development program."