Oncoral is an oral tablet formulation of irinotecan intended for use as a chemotherapeutic drug in combination regimens for the treatment of gastric cancer
Oncoral has been evaluated in an investigator sponsored Phase I trial at Herlev Hospital, Denmark, with promising results. The study was a dose-escalating safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics study of orally administered Oncoral in adult patients with advanced solid tumors. The objectives of the study were to determine the safety, tolerability and maximum tolerated dose of Oncoral given as single agent and when administered in combination with the oral chemotherapeutic drug capecitabine. Additional objectives were to determine any objective tumor response or stable disease, and to describe the pharmacokinetics of Oncoral given as single agent. The first patient was enrolled in July, 2015, and a total of 25 patients were enrolled in the part of the study with Oncoral given as single agent. The second part of the study with Oncoral given in combination with capecitabine was initiated in June 2017 and included 12 additional patients. The study was completed in 2018
The clinical development strategy for Oncoral is to obtain Phase II data and then to partner for the further development to market. The plan is to design and conduct a Phase 2 study on Oncoral together with another anti-cancer drug in irinotecan naive, HER2 negative patients with un-resectable or metastatic gastric cancer. Preliminary plans for the Phase II study involve a dose-escalation part to determine safety and tolerability and define doses for the extension part of the Phase 2 study. The extension part of the study aims at establishing proof of clinical concept based on relevant safety and efficacy parameters.