Keryx biopharmaceuticals, inc. announces details of perifosine trials

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the company has selected abstracts relating to chemotherapeutic agent KRX-0401 (Perifosine) to present and publish during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting which is taking place in Chicago, Illinois between May 31 and June 3, 2008. Keryx Biopharmaceuticals is a company which focuses on developing medically important, novel pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, including several types of cancer. The company’s headquarters are in New York City. Abstracts presented at the meeting will present details of Perifosine used in the treatment of several types of cancer, including Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, which affects white blood cells, and renal cell carcinoma, which affects the kidneys. KRX-0401 (Perifosine) is a new oral anti-cancer chemotherapy drug which modulates signal transduction pathways called Akt, JNK, and MAPK. Signal transduction pathways are what allow cells to communicate with one another, and involve the production of body chemicals, including hormones and cytokines, which tell various body cells what to do and when to do it. The signal transduction pathways which Perifosine affects are associated with a cellular process called programmed cell death, as well as other processes including cellular growth and survival. These pathways are often involved in the development of cancers, because programmed cell death is a process by which mutated cells are induced to undergo a “suicide” sequence. Sometimes a mutated cell evades programmed cell death, and if that happens the cell may become cancerous. Scientists have previously discovered that the cellular pathway called Akt plays an important role in the development of most types of cancer, and also in the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy treatment. In addition, it has been noted that people with high levels of Akt activity have a poor prognosis and their cancer tends to be more advanced. So far, more than 1,700 people in the United States and Europe have been treated with Perifosine in clinical trials. The drug has been found to be safer and less toxic than many other types of chemotherapy agents. Perifosine doesn’t cause immune system depression or many other toxic side effects such as hair loss. However, it is known to cause low-level fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. In Phase I and II trials the drug has been shown to stabilize or cause regression of tumors. It has shown positive results in the treatment of mesothelioma, kidney and liver cancers, and other more rare types of cancer. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)