Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Tustin-based drug developer, got a boost Monday from a study showing an antibody equivalent to its Tarvacin drug slowed tumor growth by up to 90% in laboratory mice.
Peregrine shares rose 10.2% to $1.51 in midday trading on the Nasdaq exchange.
Tarvacin is an anti-cancer drug that works by binding directly to a tumor’s blood vessels to prevent it from growing and developing. The naturally occurring antibody, known as 3G4, was found to do the same thing.
Data from the study showed that the antibody equivalent to Tarvacin reduced a cancerous growth by up to 75% in human breast tumor models, 90% in a mouse fibrosarcoma, a type of cancer that occurs in either soft tissue or the bone, and 50% in a human Hodgkin’s disease tumor model.
The study was conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Results were published in Clinical Cancer Research, a professional journal.
Peregrine has Food and Drug Administration clearance to start an early stage human clinical trial for Tarvacin. In a release, the company said it planned to start that trial in the “near term.”
Peregrine’s drug development is focused on treatments for cancer, viruses and other diseases. The company primarily is focused on discovering and developing products that affect blood vessels and blood flow in cancer and other diseases.
