Protox Therapeutics (TSX: PRX.TO) (OTC: PTXRF.PK) applies genetic engineering techniques to create innovative, targeted protein-based therapeutics which are focused on prostate conditions and cancer. The Company's clinical-stage pipeline is based on the PORxin and INxin technology platforms. Lead drugs in clinical development include PRX302 for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH or enlarged prostate) and localized prostate cancer as well as PRX321 for primary brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme / GBM and astrocytoma).
In early September 2009, Protox announced that it completed patient enrollment in a multi-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled Phase 2b study (TRIUMPH) of PRX302 in males with moderate to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common and bothersome urological condition that affects more than 50 million men worldwide.
TRIUMPH is the third BPH clinical trial of PRX302 conducted by Protox. In addition to being well-tolerated, the previous open-label Phase 2 study reported at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association, showed an 11 point improvement in the International Prostate Symptom Score at the optimal PRX302 dose used in the TRIUMPH study.
PRX302 is the lead drug in the company's PORxin technology platform. PORxin drugs are pore-forming pro-drugs that are activated by specific proteases produced at elevated levels on the surface of target cells. PRX302 has been generated by engineering the naturally occurring toxin proaerolysin so that it is activated by prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme that is overproduced in patients suffering from BPH and prostate cancer. Once activated, the drug punches holes in the cells causing the contents to leak out and ultimately cell death.
The Company expects to report top-line results from the TRIUMPH study during late 2009 or early 2010.