COTI's novel small molecule effective against pancreatic cancer in animal model

Jan 21 2010

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (COTI) (TSX Venture: COT)announced more positive results today from animal experiments carried out at a prominent Canadian cancer research facility. This new series of experiments adds to the impressive data package for COTI-2, demonstrating efficacy both as a single agent and in combination with current first line therapies, as well as low toxicity in several different animal models of human cancers.

This most recent study was designed to determine first, the effectiveness of oral COTI-2 as a single agent, second, the effectiveness of COTI-2 in combination with Abraxane, a standard first line therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer, and third, the toxicity of chronically administered oral COTI-2 as a single agent and in combination with Abraxane in an animal model of human pancreatic cancer (PANC-1). The following results provide strong evidence for the continued development of COTI-2 in combination with conventional single agent therapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer:

• COTI-2 is effective as a single agent in an animal model of human pancreatic cancer.

• COTI-2 plus Abraxane was significantly more effective than Abraxane as a single agent and this result was observed by day 28 of the study.
• The combination treatment group receiving COTI-2 plus Abraxane responded earlier than the Abraxane alone.

• Complete tumor regressions were observed more frequently in the combination treatment groups than with single agent Abraxane.

• At the conclusion of the study mean tumor volumes in the Abraxane only treated animals were trending higher while mean tumor volumes in the combination treatment group were trending lower.

• Chronic oral treatment with COTI-2 as a single agent or in combination with Abraxane was well tolerated with no treatment deaths or observable toxicity over the duration of the study.

"In 2010 pancreatic cancer remains the most lethal cancer and effective oral treatments with low toxicity are urgently needed. The results of this second set of experiments confirm that chronically administered oral COTI-2 is a well tolerated effective single agent and there is enhanced efficacy in combination with Abraxane in an animal model of human pancreatic cancer," said Dr. Wayne Danter, President and CSO of COTI. "These results extend previous findings for oral COTI-2 alone and in combination with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer. We continue to add to the impressive data set for COTI-2, showing effectiveness and low toxicity, particularly in combination with first and second line agents, against multiple cancers."

COTI will present this new data to prospective partners at BioPartnering North America taking place January 24-26, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. "We are once again delighted with these new experimental results providing further evidence supporting the commercial potential of oral COTI-2 in pancreatic cancer," said Mr. Michael Cloutier, CEO of COTI. "This new data will stimulate further discussions as we continue to evaluate our options pertaining to a licensing arrangement for COTI-2."