Polaris Group’s lead product candidate, ADI-PEG 20 receives US and EU orphan designations

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

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.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

In last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter, Jacquelyn Cobb, associate editor, wrote a story about the then-promising legislative package that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 22. At the time, the package was expected to pass in the Senate, provide funding for the federal government through fiscal year 2026, and prevent a government shutdown that looms Jan. 30. 
The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 22 passed a three-bill minibus package that is expected to be the grand finale of the drama of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process. The package, which funds the HHS as well as the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Education, gives NIH and NCI modest raises over FY25, and nullifies several  aggressive cuts the White House had proposed for NIH.

Never miss an issue!

Get alerts for our award-winning coverage in your inbox.

Login