OncoGenex Pharma Offers Phase 2 Rainier Results Related to Previously Untreated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI) announced today initialresults from the Phase 2 Rainier(TM) study evaluating apatorsen incombination with ABRAXANE(R) (paclitaxel protein-bound particles forinjectable suspension) (albumin-bound) and gemcitabine compared to ABRAXANEand gemcitabine alone in patients with untreated metastatic pancreaticcancer. The addition of apatorsen to ABRAXANE and gemcitabine did notdemonstrate a survival benefit compared to ABRAXANE and gemcitabine alone.The study was sponsored and conducted by Sarah Cannon Research Institute(SCRI) and further results will be presented by SCRI at a future medicalmeeting. Pancreatic cancer accounts for approximately 338,000 new cases each yearworldwide. In the U.S., it continues to be the fourth leading cause ofcancer death. Most pancreatic cancer patients will die within the first yearof diagnosis, and five-year survival rates are less than 10 percent. "Over the last decade, very few treatments have been able to demonstrate asurvival benefit in this very difficult-to-treat cancer," said JohannaBendell, MD, Director of the GI Cancer Research Program, SCRI, and a primaryinvestigator on the trial. "We understand the dire need for new treatmentoptions and are thankful to the patients who participated in this trial." The most common grade 3/4 treatment-related toxicities on the apatorsen armwere anemia, neutropenia and fatigue, also consistent with the chemotherapyregimen side effects. These and other adverse events (AEs) observed on theapatorsen arm were similar to those seen in previous trials, with theexception of an increase in grade 4 or greater AEs and serious AEs in thispancreatic cancer trial. While patients in the apatorsen arm had fewertreatment discontinuations due to progressive disease, more patientsdiscontinued therapy due to AEs. "While we are disappointed with the Rainier results, we also recognize thechallenges associated with developing effective treatments for such a lethaland complex disease. We remain confident in our broader apatorsen program,which includes ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials in lung, prostate and bladdercancers," said Scott Cormack, President and CEO of OncoGenex. Recent Apatorsen Data Results from an exploratory analysis of the Phase 2 Borealis-1(TM) trialshowed that patients with metastatic bladder cancer with poor prognosticfeatures experienced a reduction in risk of death with the addition of 600mg apatorsen added to first-line chemotherapy, compared to chemotherapyalone.