Study of DN101 and Taxotere in Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Overview

This Phase 1/2 clinical trial is a multi-center, open-label study with three main objectives. The first (Phase 1A) is to determine the maximum-tolerated dose of DN-101 when administered in combination with Taxotere (docetaxel) every three weeks (closed). The second is to determine the maximum-tolerated dose of DN-101 when administered weekly in combination with Taxotere(docetaxel)devery three weeks (open). The third is to evaluate the safety and objective tumor response rate of the combination in NSCLC. DN-101 doses will be escalated at three dosing levels. Patients will receive oral DN-101 on day one, followed by intravenous docetaxel on day two of a 21-day cycle. Treatment cycles will be repeated at the same dose level each 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

DN-101 is an oral anti-cancer therapy for solid tumors and various hematologic malignancies. DN-101 is a unique formulation of calcitriol specifically designed for use in cancer. Calcitriol is a naturally occurring hormone and the most potent biologically active form of vitamin D. In high doses, calcitriol is active in many laboratory and animal models of cancer and synergistic with many commonly used chemotherapeutic agents. Until recently, the clinical use of calcitriol as an anti-cancer therapy was limited by hypercalcemia at doses required for anti-tumor activity. Based upon clinical results to date, Novacea believes it has successfully developed a solution to this problem through development of DN-101. Chemotherapy for NSCLC, while not curative, has been shown to prolong survival in patients with unresectable disease. A number of different chemotherapy agents have been shown to have single-agent activity in NSCLC. These include cisplatin, carboplatin, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, paclitaxel and docetaxel. For first-line therapy of Stage IIIB or Stage IV NSCLC, these agents are generally used in combination. In most cases, first-line chemotherapy consists of a platinum-based agent, either cisplatin or carboplatin, and another chemotherapeutic. Only one agent, Taxotere®, has been approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration for use as second-line chemotherapy in NSCLC.