Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT), the developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins, announced the results from its Phase 1b clinical trial of Belapectin.
Extension of Study: A galectin-3 inhibitor, combined with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®) in patients with metastatic melanoma and head and neck cancer, was enrolled for the study. The study is conducted under the direction and observation of renowned cancer and melanoma expert Dr. Brendan D. Curti, M.D. The extension of the study will be undertaken on patients already enrolled. The enrolled patients include five head and neck cancer patients and nine melanoma patients. As per the report, the extension study is heavily pretreated with the therapy (systematic). Patients who are enrolled also suffer from a high burden of metastasis, soft tissues, and the liver is the most frequently involved organ. Of the total nine enrolled melanoma, four of them had a choroidal tumor and developed liver metastasis.
Belapectin and pembrolizumab appeared safe: As per the various media reports, the treatment is properly by providing Belapectin and been administered every three weeks after the infusion of pembrolizumab. In addition, the combination of Belapectin and Pembrolizumab appears to be safe and tolerated.
The patient enrolled in this extensive study had a high tumor burden, and results undertaken on these patients are pretty satisfactory. Thus, as per Dr.Curti, the results study support the rationale of the phase 2 study to further check the impact of the combination of Belapectin and Pembrolizumab compared to KEYTRUDA alone.
As per the other doctors, the combination helps the patient get rid of side effects for safety reasons, even though the patients seem to benefit from the standalone drug. The doctors who have undertaken the studies explore the best options to make the drug more effective and believe that partners will these results compelling. Galectin-3 has a significant role in cancer, and the company is supporting a Phase 1 study in the treatment of melanoma and head and neck cancer.
