Polaris Group’s lead product candidate, ADI-PEG 20 (pegylated arginine deiminase), received orphan drug designations for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma in the U.S. and the European Union.
Having completed a successful randomized phase II trial in argininosuccinate synthetase -deficient MPM patients with ADI-PEG 20 as monotherapy, Polaris is currently conducting a phase 1 trial of ADI-PEG 20 in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin, the approved first-line treatment for MPM, for the treatment of MPM and non-squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma.
Polaris is also conducting clinical trials on ADI-PEG 20 both as monotherapy and in combination with other agents, for the treatment of several other indications including breast cancer, melanomas, ovarian cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma.
ADI-PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, which causes arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient’s normal cells unharmed.
