July 24, 2013 7:07 AM EDT Tweet Send to a Friend

Verastem, Inc., (NASDAQ: VSTM) announced that lead cancer stem cell inhibitor, VS-6063 (defactinib), has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. The designation is designed to encourage the development of drugs which may provide significant benefit to patients suffering from rare diseases.

Verastem recently outlined details of the registration-directed clinical study of defactinib in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This study is designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an expected enrollment of approximately 350-400 patients at clinical sites in 11 countries.


In addition to mesothelioma, Verastem recently announced the completion of the Phase 1 stage and initial data from an ongoing Phase 1/1b study of defactinib in combination with weekly paclitaxel for patients with ovarian cancer. Verastem also expects to initiate a Phase 1 study in Japan, and a Phase 2 trial in KRAS-mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, for defactinib during the third quarter of 2013.












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