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- PharmAust (PAA) claims a 12-year-old beagle in its clinical trial for the treatment of canine cancer has so far lived for over 240 days with a high quality of life
- The beagle, Louie, has B-cell lymphoma, which is often fatal within a few weeks, and is being treated solely with PharmAust’s monepantel (MPL) drug
- PharmAust says its drug so far appears to extend survival in dogs three-fold while allowing them to maintain a good quality of life
- So far, PAA has treated 36 dogs using MPL, with 11 having shown a decrease in tumour size
- Shares in PharmAust are trading at 8.6 cents at 2:39 pm AEDT
PharmAust (PAA) has reported that a 12-year-old beagle in its clinical trial for the treatment of canine cancer has so far lived for over 240 days with a high quality of life.
The beagle, Louie, has B-cell lymphoma and is being treated solely with PharmAust’s monepantel (MPL) product. For reference, this type of cancer is usually fatal for dogs in a matter of weeks. While chemotherapy can extend survival, it often comes with major side effects and a lower quality of life for the dog.
Currently, 36 dogs have been treated using MPL, of which 11 have seen a decrease in tumour size. PharmAust says owner surveys from dogs in the trial indicate an “excellent” quality of life score.
PAA said it appeared treatment with MPL could extend survival in dogs three-fold while allowing them to maintain a good quality of life.
The trial has patients in Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
As part of the trial, PharmAust needs at least 18 dogs out of 46 dogs to show an overall clinical benefit to meet its statistical endpoint.
MPL is approved for veterinary use for a different indication in food-chain animals, but PharmAust plans to repurpose MPL as a cancer treatment without the side effects of chemotherapy.
Shares in PharmAust were trading at 8.6 cents at 2:39 pm AEDT.
