Ongoing study assesses effectiveness of BBI-608
Manish Shah, M.D., presented an update of phase III of the BRIGHTER trial, which is currently underway to determine the effectiveness of a new drug, BBI-608 plus weekly paclitaxel (versus a placebo and weekly paclitaxel) on the overall survival of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma, at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
He spoke to Cancer Therapy Advisor (above) and Oncology Times about trial results so far and hopes for the therapy,
An orally-administered first-in-class cancer stemness inhibitor, BBI-608 has a unique mechanism of action; it blocks cancer stem cell self-renewal and survival by suppressing stemness pathways, including Stat3, a protein central to cancer progression.
"This protein hasn't been targeted well in the past, making BBI-608 a distinctive treatment option." Shah told Oncology Times. "The results of this phase III trial have the potential to revolutionize treatment options for patients with advanced gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma as well as a variety of other cancers."