Pivotal starts enrolment in a phase II clinical trial for patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease developing renal cell cancer

Pivotal starts enrolment in a phase II clinical trial for patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease developing renal cell cancer

• New collaboration aims to further accelerate the delivery of novel treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers
  
  
• Collaboration will enable patients in Europe to access novel investigational cancer therapies

Madrid, Spain 14 February, 2019 – Pivotal has enrolled the first patients in a recently awarded new phase II trial in Europe, testing a targeted drug in patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, a hereditary disease which increases the risk to develop multiple tumours, mainly renal cell cancer, and also haemangioblastoma and retinoblastoma, among others.   The incidence of von Hippel-Lindau syndrome is estimated to be 1 in 36,000 individuals, and tumours most frequently appear during young adulthood. The disease is caused by mutations in the VHL gene, which is a tumor suppressor gene. Mutations in this gene prevent production of the VHL protein or lead to the production of an abnormal version of the protein. An altered or missing VHL protein cannot effectively regulate cell survival and division. As a result, cells grow and divide uncontrollably to form the tumours and cysts that are characteristic of von Hippel-Lindau syndrome.   The sponsor is a US-based biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class oral medicines for patients with cancer and other serious or life-threatening conditions. The IMP is an orally active, small molecule with potential antineoplastic activity.   Pivotal is working in close partnership with the sponsor in the execution of this development programme to study the new drug. It will provide its internal European resources to increase and streamline operational efficiency, including Start-up, Regulatory, Clinical Operations, Medical Monitoring, Pharmacovigilance and other operational services in 6 countries in Europe.   “The power of partnerships, such as the one we are embarking on, brings together the best minds and capabilities to accelerate this dynamic area of research and bring therapies to patients with high unmet needs,” said Lourdes Huarte, MPham, PhD, MBA. “We are delighted to start this trial in Europe and deploy our capabilities to accelerate the development of medicines in such a difficult-to-treat area.”

The study will include up to 60 patients from US and European sites and will assess, as primary objective, the clinical benefit in terms of overall response rate in renal tumours and, as secondary objectives, duration of response, time to response, progression free survival, time to surgery, pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability. Additionally, the trial will assess the efficacy in other disease-associated tumours. Promising results were achieved in a phase I study with this drug, showing preliminary clinical efficacy and a very good safety profile. 

About Pivotal
Pivotal was founded in 2001 by Dr. Ibrahim Farr on the principle that strategic medical advice and support should be the backbone of all clinical trials. After working for over two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Farr recognized the need for a medium-sized CRO with a solid internal medical franchise that could act not only as the "doers" but also as the “co-thinkers” for their clients, through its strategic scientific advice. To date, we are the trusted advisor and counselor for many companies to deliver maximum value in their drug development programmes. We are a leading privately-held European CRO and, since inception, we have experienced a fast and steady organic growth in Europe.

Pivotal clients’ portfolio spans major pharmaceutical, biotechnological, medical device and nutrition companies, and we have long-standing relations with over 188 clients. Pivotal has extensive experience across major therapeutic areas and phases I to IV. Our highly customized teams bring to each client a combination of broad industry knowledge and operational excellence, to offer our clients fresh perspectives and breakthrough business insights. Additionally, we have built a strong oncology, innovative therapies, rare diseases and early phases hub that enables us to tackle our customers' most difficult challenges, turning recommendations into concrete actions. By remaining true to our core principles and values, our vision is to become our client’s preferred outsourcing solution partner.
For more information, please visit www.pivotal.es

MEDIA CONTACT
Ms. Natalia Farr
M.: +34 679 488 022
natalia.farr@pivotal.es