NeoPharm Inc announced the initiation of a Phase I bridging study for LEP-ETU, and that the first patient has completed the initial dose treatment. LEP-ETU is NeoPharm's unique and proprietary NeoLipid liposomal formulation of the cancer fighting compound paclitaxel, which is currently approved for the treatment of breast, lung and ovarian cancer. NeoPharm has designed LEP-ETU in an easy-to-use (ETU) formulation to minimize preparation time and improve administration of the drug. The clinical trials are being conducted at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick and Temple University in Philadelphia.

"We are pleased to announce the initiation of human clinical trials for LEP-ETU," said James M. Hussey, NeoPharm's President and CEO. "Thanks to the flexibility of NeoLipid technology and the dedication of our team, we were able to bring LEP-ETU into the clinic only eighteen months after beginning pre-clinical research. We can now focus on our goal to provide cancer patients with a safer, easier to administer, paclitaxel formulation."