According to a story from PR Newswire, the biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. has announced recently that its phase 3 clinical trial has officially completed enrollment. This trial is testing the company’s experimental drug candidate SGX301 as a treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a class of rare cancers. Soligenix is focused on the development of treatments for rare diseases with unmet medical needs.
About Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are cancers that affect a type of white blood cell called T-cells. Though classified as a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it differs from most other types because it affects T-cells instead of B-cells. In these diseases, the affected T-cells attack the skin. The cause of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma remains unknown, nor is it well understood why the cells attack skin. Symptoms of the disease include skin that is red or itchy. In some cases, round patches of scaly skin may appear. Some areas may appear lighter in color. Other symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, lumps on the skin, hair loss, and thickened skin on the hands and feet. There are many types of this lymphoma, including Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides. Treatment for these diseases may include certain medications, light therapy, bone marrow transplant, extracorporeal photopheresis, and radiation therapy. Treatment and the rate of disease progression varies depending on the sub-type. To learn more about cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, click here.
About SGX301
SGX301 is a unique first of its class treatment that is photodynamic in nature. The treatment utilizes synthetic hypericin as a photosensitizer. The drug is activated with a brief fluorescent light treatment after it is applied as a skin ointment to the affected areas of skin. This treatment is expected to provide advantages in safety over many of the most commonly used treatments, which may increase the risk of secondary cancers like melanoma due to ultraviolet light exposure.
The trial has enrolled 169 participants. The company is optimistic that SGX301 has the potential to be of benefit to patients in the early stages of the lymphoma based on positive findings from earlier trials, all while reducing patients’ risk of complications such as the appearance of secondary cancers.
