# Evgen Pharma plc Clinical trials progress alongside advances in sulforaphane science

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/evgen-pharma-plc-clinical-trials-progress-alongside-advances-sulforaphane-science/412741771
- Published: 2017-12-08T07:12:25+00:00
- Author: Giles Arbor

**Evgen Pharma plc** (LON:EVG), the clinical stage drug development company focused
on cancer and neurological conditions, announces its unaudited interim results for
the six months ended 30 September 2017.

**Highlights in the year to date:**

· Good progress in the Company’s Phase II metastatic breast cancer clinical trial(‘
STEM’) of SFX-01, the Company’s lead product. Seven sites open for recruitment across
UK, Belgium and Spain. On track to report in second half of 2018 with interim read-
out in H1 2018

– Compassionate use programme commenced in STEM for patients whose disease progression
was arrested during the full 24-week period of the trial

– Elucidation of potential mechanism of action for SFX-01 in breast cancer

· Phase II subarachnoid haemorrhage stroke trial (‘SAS’) of SFX-01 on track to report
around the end of 2018

– Site initiation completed at Birmingham with a further three sites under consideration

· First patent grant in Europe for SFX-01, relating to manufacturing and scale-up
processes

· Study of SFX-01 on patient-derived tumours from triple negative breast cancer 
patients (in a xenograft model) to commence at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre
funded by the Shine Bright Foundation

· Financial performance in-line with expectations:

– Total comprehensive loss of £1.7m (30 September 2016: loss of £1.7m)

– Net cash outflow (before short-term investment movements) of £1.7m (30 September
2016: £1.6m)

– Cash and short-term investments and cash on deposit at 30 September 2017 of £2.2m(
30 September 2016: £5.5m)

> **Stephen Franklin, Chief Executive Officer of Evgen Pharma Plc, said:** “We are
> particularly pleased with the progress of the STEM trial and the requirement to
> open the compassionate use programme for patients that have had their tumour growth
> arrested for the full duration of the 24-week trial and wish to receive SFX-01
> post-trial on ethical grounds. We now have one STEM patient that has been on SFX-
> 01 for nearly a year with demonstrable clinical benefit and others that have entered
> the compassionate use programme.
> “We are also most encouraged by the results that are starting to emerge from our
> research collaborators at the University of Manchester that cast new light on 
> how SFX-01 may be working mechanistically in advanced breast cancer. This work,
> which will be published next year, has demonstrated that SFX-01 near eliminates
> the activated form of a protein, called STAT3, that is elevated in tumours that
> have become resistant to hormone therapy. STAT3 is known to play a key role in
> promoting tumour renewal, metastases and helping some cancers evade the surveillance
> of the immune system.”

Share on: