Onconase
A natural protein isolated from the leopard frog, ONCONASE has been shown in the laboratory and clinic to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE triggers apoptosis, the natural death of cells, via multiple molecular mechanisms of action. ONCONASE is a first-in-class product candidate based on Alfacell's proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology.
Onconase has finished Stage IIIb clinical trials. Alfacell has previously reported that the results of the preliminary statistical analysis of the data from the confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical trial for ONCONASE in patients suffering from unresectable malignant mesothelioma (UMM) did not meet statistical significance for the primary endpoint of survival in UMM. However, a statistically significant improvement in survival was seen in the treatment of UMM patients who failed one prior chemotherapy regimen, a pre-defined primary data set for this sub-group of patients in the trial, which represents a currently unmet medical need.
At this time, Alfacell does not have funding to continue further clinical trials. It is looking at options to decide how to fund further trials.
