2nd Mar 2020 11:08
(Alliance News) - Midatech Pharma PLC on Monday said it has secured regulatory & ethics approval to begin a further exploratory first-phase study for its MTX110 drug.
MTX110 is expected to be used for the treatment of diffuse midline glioma brain tumours, which are "extremely" aggressive, tending to spread out and invade neighbouring tissue throughout the brainstem.
The biotechnology company said the study will be conducted at the Columbia University in New York. As part of study, Midatech said MTX110 will be administrated via a small subcutaneously implanted pump sited in the abdominal wall, that infuses MTX110 directly to the brain tumour via tubing routed under the skin to the base of the brain.
This administration method is called convection enhanced delivery, which is a relatively new technique for delivering chemotherapy drugs directly into brain tumours.
Midatech explained that this fully internalised sterile infusion system will allow extended duration of chronic infusions from days to weeks, supporting the rationale and feasibility for prolonged infusion in the outpatient setting.
This exploratory study will be conducted in five patients, with a duration of 18 months.
"We are delighted to have received approval for this study, which together with our other ongoing studies provides additional routes of administration and dosing regimes for MTX110," said Midatech Chief Executive Craig Cook.
"These childhood brain tumours are devastating diseases with very limited treatment options, and we look forward to continuing our development of MTX110 as an effective therapy that can make a difference for these patients," added Cook.
AIM-listed Midatech shares were trading 7.0% higher in London on Monday at 2.30 pence each.
By Evelina Grecenko; [email protected]
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