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Aprea Therapeutics Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for APR-246 in Combination with Azacitidine for the Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) with a TP53 Mutation
BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: APRE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel
About this update from Aprea Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: APRE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel cancer therapeutics that reactivate mutant tumor suppressor protein p53, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for APR-246 in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with a susceptible TP53 mutation.\n MDS represents a spectrum of hematopoietic stem cell malignancies in which bone marrow fails to produce sufficient numbers of healthy blood cells. Approximately 30-40% of MDS patients progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein is thought to directly contribute to disease progression and a poor overall prognosis. “Breakthrough Therapy Designation further supports our development program for APR-246 in combination with azacitidine in MDS patients with a TP53 mutation,” said Christian S. Schade, Chief Executive Officer of Aprea. “Outcomes for MDS patients with a TP53 mutation are poor and there are no current therapeutic options specifically for these patients. We look forward to continued interaction with FDA regarding our ongoing Phase 3 clinical study and our clinical development program to advance APR-246.” The FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a drug candidate that is planned to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition when preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints. About p53 and APR-246 The p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer, occurring in approximately 50% of all human tumors. These mutations are often associated with resistance to anti-cancer drugs and poor overall survival, representing a major unmet medical need in the treatment of cancer. APR-246 is a small molecule that has demonstrated reactivation of mutant and inactivated p53 protein – by restoring wild-type p53 conformation and function – and thereby induce programmed cell death in human cancer cells. Pre-clinical anti-tumor activity has been observed with APR-246 in a wide variety of solid and hematological cancers,...