New study [1].
I don't believe Tasquinimod has come up before, though there are published trial results going back 6 years.
Wiki [2]: "Tasquinimod targets the tumor microenvironment and counteracts cancer development by inhibiting angiogenesis and metastasis and by modulating the immune system."
Carducci [Hopkins] (2013) [3]:
"Tasquinimod, has a somewhat poorly understood mechanism of action. It is thought to exert an antiangiogenic effect through the inhibition of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, key to the support of an angiogenic environment, and down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. A phase II trial randomizing men to tasquinimod versus placebo revealed a median progression-free survival advantage in the experimental arm (7.6 vs. 3.3 months with placebo ...). Based on these encouraging phase II results, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in men with metastatic castration-resistant PCa was launched. That trial is powered for a primary endpoint of progression-free survival and is expected to enroll 1200 men."
Carducci (2016) [4]:
In all, 1,245 patients were randomly assigned to either tasquinimod (n = 832) or placebo (n = 413) between March 2011 and December 2012 at 241 sites in 37 countries. ...
"Estimated median {radiographic progression-free survival} by central review was 7.0 months ... with tasquinimod and 4.4 months ... with placebo ...
"Median {overall survival} was 21.3 months ... with tasquinimod and 24.0 months ... with placebo ..."
Another example of improved radiographic progression-free survival without improved overall survival.
The new Phase II study involved a dozen countries. "A total of 219 patients were screened and 144 patients randomized. The median duration of treatment was 18.7 weeks (range: 0.6-102.7 weeks) for the tasquinimod arm". These were mCRPC men "not progressing during first-line docetaxel-based therapy."
"The median OS was not reached because only 14 deaths occurred by the cut-off date."
"Maintenance tasquinimod therapy significantly reduced the risk of {radiographic progression-free survival} by 40%."
-Patrick
[1] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/290...
[2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasqu...