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Download File - JOHN J. HADDAD, Ph.D.

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76 Teofilovici and Wentworth<br />

(best supportive care based on current standard clinical practice, which includes<br />

palliative radiation therapy and/or second-line chemotherapy). A 1300-patient<br />

phase 3 trial has recently launched in patients with stage IIIA or IIIB locoregional<br />

NSCLC (30).<br />

GSK 1572932A (GlaxoSmithKline; <strong>Ph</strong>iladelphia, PA, U.S.)<br />

This cancer immunotherapeutic non-patient-specific vaccine consists of a purified<br />

recombinant MAGE-A3 protein combined with GSK’s proprietary adjuvant<br />

system. The agent is designed to trigger an immune response against tumor cells<br />

expressing MAGE-A3, a tumor-specific antigen expressed on a variety of cancers<br />

including NSCLC and melanoma.<br />

GlaxoSmithKline has initiated a phase 3, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled<br />

trial of GSK 1572932A as an adjuvant therapy in patients with<br />

stage IB, II, or IIIA resectable NSCLC whose tumors express the MAGE-A#<br />

antigen. The study will enroll approximately 2270 patients and the primary end<br />

point is disease-free survival. GSK 1572932A is used in combination with<br />

VaxImmune and QS-21 Stimulon adjuvants (30).<br />

THE CONVENTIONAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT MODEL AND<br />

DIFFICULTIES APPLYING REGULATORY PROCESS TO CANCER<br />

VACCINE DEVELOPMENT<br />

The conventional development model for new treatments consists of preclinical<br />

and clinical research phases. Preclinical research entails laboratory studies to<br />

investigate the basic properties of a drug as well as studies in animals to evaluate<br />

the safety and efficacy of a treatment in animal “models” of human diseases.<br />

Clinical research is the investigation of an experimental treatment in<br />

humans. Clinical trials are designed to answer specific questions about new<br />

therapies or new ways of using known treatments. They are used to determine<br />

whether a new drug or treatment is both safe and effective, and are only conducted<br />

if the preclinical studies have yielded promising results. Before a treatment<br />

is approved for marketing, clinical research is typically divided into three<br />

phases: phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3.<br />

l In phase 1 clinical trials, researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small<br />

group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe<br />

dosage range, and identify side effects.<br />

l In phase 2 clinical trials, the study drug or treatment is given to a larger<br />

group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.<br />

l In phase 3 studies, the study drug or treatment is given to large groups of<br />

people to further determine its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare<br />

it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the<br />

drug or treatment to be used safely.

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