Ipsen and Active Biotech recruit half of patient quota for tasquinimod trial

Ipsen and Active Biotech have reached the halfway point in their patient recruitment efforts for their new study of the metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer treatment tasquinimod.

A total of 600 patients have been enrolled in the pivotal, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study in accordance with their pre-planned schedule, thus triggering a ten million euro (8.09 million pounds) milestone payment from Ipsen to Active Biotech.

The aim of the trial is to confirm tasquinimod's efficacy against the disease in a pre-chemotherapy setting, with radiological progression-free survival as the primary endpoint and overall survival as the secondary endpoint.

Marc de Garidel, chairman and chief executive officer of Ipsen, said: "Ipsen is now in the final stage of designing the randomised supportive study to be initiated before year-end and is getting ready to investigate tasquinimod in additional indications."

During the first quarter of 2012, the company achieved year-on-year sales growth of 1.4 percent.