Moleculin to trial leukemia treatment in Europe

Moleculin Biotech Inc., looks set to take clinical trials of a leukemia treatment to Europe.

The United States-based pharmaceutical company has requested that its contract research organization Theradex Systems Inc., engages with trials in Poland for its lead product candidate Annamycin.

"We have been working on ways to increase our rate of patient accrual once we start our planned clinical trial for Annamycin," said Walter Klemp, Chairman and CEO of Moleculin. 

"We have identified several promising sites in Poland. By expanding our engagement with Theradex, we help ensure tight coordination of clinical activity between the US and Poland."

The trials will deepen its research into the treatment, which is aimed at patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). 

Klemp believes Moleculin will have access to more AML patients in Poland, adding: "If our IND is permitted, which must happen for clinical trials to begin, we intend to hit the ground running, and we believe Poland improves that capability. 

“AML patients in Poland have less access to clinical trials than those in the US, which should make it easier for us to recruit relapsed or refractory AML patients who have received a fewer number of prior failed treatments and, as a result, may be less resistant to future treatments, and/or whose general health is less severely compromised. 

“Work is already under way to identify a lead European Principal Investigator and to recruit the most appropriate clinical sites for the expansion."