AROG Pharmaceuticals to Present Clinical Data on C

DALLAS, Nov. 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AROG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs to treat unmet medical needs in oncology, today announced its abstract highlighting the company’s lead product candidate, crenolanib, in a combination study with cytarabine and anthracycline has been selected for an oral presentation at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting. Crenolanib continues to demonstrate best-in-class properties in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 mutations. In addition, AROG will present three posters on its combination studies of crenolanib with sorafenib, idarubicin and high-dose ara-C (HiDAC), and high-dose ara-C and mitoxantrone (HAM) in AML patients with FLT3 mutations. The ASH annual meeting will take place December 3-6, 2016 in San Diego, California. Details of the abstract presentations are provided below.

Oral Presentation, Abstract #94664

Title: Crenolanib, a type I FLT3 TKI, can be safely combined with cytarabine and anthracycline induction chemotherapy and results in high response rates in patients with newly diagnosed FLT3 mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Authors: Eunice S. Wang, Richard M. Stone, Martin S. Tallman, Roland B. Walter, John R. Eckardt, and Robert Collins

Presenter: Dr. Eunice S. Wang Session: 616. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Novel Therapy, excluding Transplantation: FLT3 and IDH Targeted Therapies in AML Date: Monday, December 5, 2016 Session Time: 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM PST Presentation Time: 5:00 PM PST Location: San Diego Ballroom AB (Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina)

Poster Presentation, Abstract #93846

Title: Pilot study of combined type I FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, crenolanib with sorafenib in pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory FLT3+Ve AML

Authors: Hiroto Inaba, John C Panetta, Daelynn R. Buelow, Raul C. Ribeiro, John R. Eckardt, and Sharyn D. Baker

Presenter: Dr. Hiroto Inaba Session: 604. Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Resistance in Myeloid Diseases: Poster III Date: Monday, December 5, 2016 Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM PST Location: Hall GH (San Diego Convention Center) Poster Board: 3937

Poster Presentation, Abstract #94751

Title: Efficacy of a type I FLT3 inhibitor, crenolanib, with idarubicin and high-dose ara-c in multiply relapsed/refractory FLT3+ AML

Authors: Maro Ohanian, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Gautam Borthakur, Tapan M. Kadia, Marina Konopleva, Guillermo GarciaManero, Zeev Estrov, Alessandra Ferrajoli, Koichi Takahashi, Elias J. Jabbour, Naval Daver, Steven M. Kornblau, William Wierda, Jan A. Burger, Kiran Naqvi, Christopher B. Benton, Prithviraj Bose, John R. Eckardt, Farhad Ravandi, and Jorge E. Cortes

Presenter: Dr. Maro Ohanian Session: 604. Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Resistance in Myeloid Diseases: Poster II Date: Sunday, December 4, 2016 Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM PST Location: Hall GH (San Diego Convention Center) Poster Board: 2744

Poster Presentation, Abstract #94702

Title: Safety study of salvage chemotherapy high-dose ara-c/mitoxantrone (HAM) and Type I FLT3TKI crenolanib in first relapsed/primary refractory AML

Authors: Swaminathan P. Iyer, Yogesh Jethava, Chatchada Karanes, John R. Eckardt and Robert Collins

Presenter: Dr. Swaminathan P. Iyer Session: 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster III Date: Monday, December 5, 2016 Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM PST Location: Hall GH (San Diego Convention Center) Poster Board: 3983

About AROG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

AROG Pharmaceuticals is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that has leveraged its platform of benzimidazole derivatives to develop a robust drug pipeline of orally available, potent, and selective small molecule type I kinase inhibitors.  AROG is poised to enroll patients in pivotal, randomized Phase III trials of its lead molecule, crenolanib.  In addition to the four clinical trials it has already completed, AROG is also engaged in three ongoing Phase II clinical trials. For more information, please visit the company’s website, http://www.arogpharma.com .

About Crenolanib 

AROG’s lead molecule, crenolanib, is currently being clinically investigated as a treatment for multiple cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), glioma, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  It is an orally bioavailable benzimidazole type I kinase inhibitor that selectively and potently inhibits signaling of wild-type and mutant isoforms of class III receptor tyrosine kinases FLT3 and PDGFRα/β. This molecule has an established record of patient safety and has been used to treat over 250 patients from around the world. 

About FLT3 

FLT-3 is a class III receptor tyrosine kinase, and its signaling is considered important for the normal development of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells.  The FLT-3 gene is one of the most frequently mutated genes (~35%) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  One such mutation, internal tandem duplications of FLT-3 (FLT3-ITD), is a prognostic indicator associated with adverse disease outcome. Also, FLT-3 (FLT3-D835), is known to be a common cause of resistance to other FLT3 inhibitors.

About PDGFRα/β  

Platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR) -α and -β are cell surface tyrosine kinase receptors and are important factors regulating cell proliferation and cell development, as well as several diseases, including cancers like brain tumors and sarcomas.  In clinical tests, crenolanib has been shown to inhibit both PDGFR-α and -β phosphorylation, thus preventing downstream signaling.

Contact: The Trout Group Peter Rahmer (646) 378-2973 prahmer@troutgroup.com