Introgen Reports Positive Result in FUS1 Clinical Trial

Biotech company Introgen Therapeutics Inc. reported yesterday that it has had positive results in a Phase I clinical trial of FUS1, a treatment candidate for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The trial was conducted at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and involved 13 stage-IV lung cancer patients. The results indicate that FUS1, a cancer-suppressing gene, successfully entered the patients' tumors via INGN 401, Introgen's intravenously administered lipid nanoparticle product candidate. The treatment, which caused no significant side effects, resulted in a median survival time of 14.6 months, compared with a 7-month rate for patients receiving second-line therapy. This is the first demonstration that a gene can be injected intravenously and then be expressed in significant levels in cancer cells elsewhere in the body. The company's shares rose $0.24, or 4.7%, to $5.40 in AH trading after rising $0.28, or 5.7%, to close at $5.16.

Sources: Press release, Business Week, MoneyCentral
Commentary: Why Introgen is a Terminal Case • Unanswered Questions Support a Short Position in Introgen • Introgen: Setting The Record Straight On Its Biomarker Claims
Stocks/ETFs to watch: Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (INGN). Competitors: Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ONXX), Valentis Inc. (VLTS), Vical Inc. (VICL). ETFs: iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (IBB), HOLDRS Biotech (BBH), PowerShares Dynamic Biotech & Genome (PBE)

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