California company completes phase 1 study of ‘novel’ melanoma treatment

San Mateo, Calif. - Pain Therapeutics recently announced the completion of its first clinical study utilizing what it calls a novel melanoma treatment, TradingMarkets.com reports.

The treatment consists of dosing patients with a monoclonal antibody labeled with a radioisotope. Pain Therapeutics owns exclusive worldwide commercial rights to the technology, which it licensed from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The study was conducted in Israel, where a team of clinical researchers administered the radio-labeled monoclonal antibody to 12 patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma. Top-line results of this phase 1 study indicate the antibody binds to melanoma tumor sites. No drug-related serious adverse events were observed.

The objectives of the study were to assess safety, pharmacokinetics and dosimetry to normal organs. Because of the encouraging results in these areas, Pain Therapeutics will initiate a second study in which patients will receive significantly higher amounts of radioactivity delivered by the radio-labeled antibody, the company says.