Keryx Trial Show Drug Improves Survival In Colon Cancer

dianetavegia

* JANUARY 25, 2010, 9:09 A.M. ET

Keryx Trial Show Drug Improves Survival In Colon Cancer



DOW JONES NEWSWIRES



Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (KERX) said its experimental cancer drug helped hold off disease progress and improve overall survival in patients with advanced colon cancer, according to updated results from a midstage trial.

Shares rose 12.4% premarket at $3.08, while U.S.-traded shares in Keryx's Canadian partner, Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (AEZ.T, AEZS) added 6.5% to 99 cents.

The treatment was licensed by Keryx from Aeterna in North America.

Keryx Chief Executive Ron Bentsur said, "It has been several years since any drug candidate has shown a robust advantage across all key efficacy parameters" in such patients, adding that the company expects to finalize the design of late-stage trials with the Food and Drug Adminstration within the next three months.

The drug was given fast-track status by the FDA last month to treat a kind of cancer in white blood cells, and in September, the FDA also granted the treatment orphan status, which is reserved for new therapies for diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the country. It gives drug developers seven years of market exclusivity.

In updated results from the study, Keryx said the drug, taken with a capecitabine, a kind of chemotherapy, showed a statistically significant advantage in time to progression and overall survival, as well as the percentage of patients with disease stability lasting two weeks or more. It showed greater than 60% improvement in overall survival, a more than doubling of median time to progression, and almost a doubling of the percentage of patients with stable-disease status.

The company said the drug was well tolerated, with the most common adverse side effects being anemia, fatigue, abdominal pain and hand-foot syndrome, which is a skin reaction from chemotherapy.



-By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291; joan.solsman@dowjones.com

vchildbeloved

That's wonderful news
That's wonderful news Diane.

Best wishes, Valerie

John23

Stocks and bondage
Sometimes we can learn a lot, by looking beyond the hype:

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"Short-Term: Buy… Long-Term: Sell

Take Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: KERX), for example…

In response to my column on the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference
last week, I received a couple of questions about the prospects
for Keryx. So I made sure I got myself into a private lunch with
the management team and investors.

The investors were intrigued by the story, but weren’t especially
enthusiastic or receptive about putting money into the stock.

At the moment, the firm is progressing with clinical trials for
KRX-0401 and Zerenex. It’s quite possible that both will see
positive Phase II results in the near future.

However, I’m not convinced that Zerenex will be a huge commercial
success if it’s approved. Compared to Genzyme’s (Nasdaq: GENZ)
Renagel, Zerenex seems like a “me too” drug, but without enough
benefits to differentiate itself.

I still need to do more work on the company, but my initial
impression is that while I think KERX could be an interesting
short-term buy opportunity, it could also be an interesting
short-sell if Zerenex gets approved.

In other words, Keryx is likely not Mr. Right, but could be Mr. Right Now."


Credit: http://seekingalpha.com/
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The money usually goes where the best return will be. Note the
product "Zerenex", and the fact it is closer to being "approved".

I get so sick of seeing these "new drugs" coming into view, and
getting cancer victims into a stir, when it's just "forward looking"
reports from those that want to make big bucks in the stock market.