Did OXiGENE Win a Crucial Battle In the Fight Against Cancer?

On Tuesday, OXiGENE OXGN announced that a Phase 2 trial of its ZYBRESTAT ovarian cancer drug has “met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant increase in progress-free survival” of patients with ovarian cancer. Patients given a combination of ZYBRESTAT with an already existing cancer treatment Avastin (developed by Roche) showed better progression rates than patients who were only given Avastin. “Patients receiving the combination of ZYBRESTAT and Avastin achieved a higher objective response rate,” the company wrote in a press release. ZYBRESTAT is OXiGENE's lead vascular disrupting agent product for the treatment of solid tumors. The product has previously shown promise in treating a rare form of thyroid cancer and following the recent Phase 2 successes in treatment for ovarian cancer the company is evaluating how to advance the therapy to patients in need. OXiGENE plans to submit the study results for presentations at scientific meetings. Ovarian cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women in the U.S as signs and symptoms are either completely absent or subtle. Ovarian cancer often spreads beyond the ovary before symptoms begin to develop.