Peregrine Pharmaceuticals says bavituximab prompts response in breast cancer patients

Peregrine drug prompts response in cancer study

TUSTIN, Calif. — Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday its drug candidate bavituximab prompted an improvement in response rates in advanced breast cancer patients during a midstage clinical trial.

The company said its experimental drug bavituximab, in combination with Sanofi-Aventis’ chemotherapy drug Taxotere, prompted a 61 percent objective response rate in 46-patient midstage study.

Peregrine said the data compares favorably with separate and prior published study showing Taxotere alone prompted a 41 percent response rate in advanced breast cancer patients.

Since the two studies are separate and have different variables, they can’t actually be scientifically compared, though companies often use incomparable studies as a tool in assessing the benefit of a developing drug.

Peregrine is testing bavituximab as an antivirus and cancer treatment. It is designed to stick to a piece of a cell structure that is normally only found inside cells, but is exposed on the surface if the cell is infected with certain viruses or becomes cancerous.

The company said the combination of bavituximab and Taxotere, which is also called docetaxel, warrants further study.

Shares of Peregrine fell 11 cents, or 3 percent, to $3.51 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $1.10 and $5.65 over the last 52 weeks.