Melbourne, Australia; Wednesday 11 September 2013: Starpharma Holdings Ltd (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) today announced it had achieved improved tumour-inhibiting efficacy and reduced overall toxicity using a dendrimer enhanced version of the blockbuster cancer drug, oxaliplatin (ELOXATIN®).

These positive results were demonstrated in a pre-clinical study, which examined dendrimer-enhanced nanoparticle versions of oxaliplatin compared with ELOXATIN® (oxaliplatin) in a colon cancer model (xenograft).

Oxaliplatin is sold as ELOXATIN^® by Sanofi and achieved sales of approximately US$2B in 2012. It is primarily used to treat colon and colorectal cancer. Bone marrow toxicities (including the serious white blood cell disorder, neutropenia^[1]) are reported in a high proportion of patients receiving Oxaliplatin – with rates in excess of 70%[2].

The observation that Starpharma’s Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin nanoparticles substantially reduced neutropenia, a life threatening and dose-limiting toxicity is an important finding, both for this drug candidate (Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin) and potentially also for Starpharma’s platform more broadly.

“These are impressive results - that demonstrate Starpharma’s dendrimer technology can be used to both enhance the efficacy and improve the safety profile of oxaliplatin, a widely used cancer treatment,” said Starpharma CEO Dr Jackie Fairley.

Dendrimer-enhanced oxaliplatin is being developed as part of Starpharma’s internal drug delivery program. The most advanced drug candidate in this program - a dendrimer enhanced nanoparticle of the leading anti-cancer drug docetaxel – is set to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial later this year.

These positive results achieved with Starpharma’s Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin nanoparticles are the subject of a new patent filing and given the obvious commercial potential, Starpharma now intends to advance Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin formulations into development.   Additional studies are ongoing to further explore the positive impact on bone marrow toxicity and the potential for the Dendrimer-Enhanced nanoparticles to reduce certain other clinically important toxicities.

 “These results and other studies indicate that Starpharma’s Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin delivers better efficacy compared to oxaliplatin - as well as reduced neutropenia and myelosuppression^[3] more broadly,” said Dr Fairley.

“Currently patient outcomes with oxaliplatin in colon cancer are negatively impacted by these toxicities so the clinical and commercial potential of an improved oxaliplatin product which offers both enhanced efficacy and reduced bone marrow toxicity is very significant.  The fact that we also observed good anti-cancer activity in a colon cancer model that is refractory to oxaliplatin is also an impressive result for the Dendrimer-Enhanced Oxaliplatin formulations.”

(The ASX Announcement includes additional detail including Study Description and Findings)

Download ASX Announcement Dendrimer-Oxaliplatin shows better anti-cancer efficacy and less toxicity ( pdf file, 270kb)