Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a commercial-stage biotechnology company with a primary focus in oncology, announced that it has entered into a co-development and commercialization agreement with TopoTarget A/S for Belinostat, a novel histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor.

Belinostat is currently in a registrational trial, under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), as a monotherapy for relapsed or refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL), an indication in which it has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Belinostat is also under investigation in a randomized phase 2 trial, as a combination therapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel, for cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Additionally, the NCI is currently conducting several clinical trials of Belinostat in a variety of haematological and solid tumours, both as monotherapy as well as combination therapy.

"The addition of Belinostat addresses our key strategic goal of in-licensing a late-stage anti-cancer compound," said Rajesh C. Shrotriya, MD, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. "With this collaboration, we have now completed our strategic initiatives relating to in-licensing of compounds with near term commercialization opportunities. Belinostat's current registrational program is comprehensive and focused in that it targets key haematological indications such as PTCL and other solid tumour indications. Belinostat has the potential to be a best-in-class HDAC inhibitor for both haematological and solid tumours. We look forward to advancing Belinostat in PTCL and other solid tumour indications, with the goal of providing cancer patients with more effective treatment options as quickly and efficiently as possible. With that goal in mind, we currently expect to file the NDA in PTCL in 2011. TopoTarget has laid a solid foundation from which we will further develop Belinostat."

"So far, Belinostat has demonstrated some unique and differentiating attributes. If approved, it would give Spectrum access to potentially large markets while allowing for enhanced coordination with our marketed drugs, ZEVALIN and FUSILEV," added Amar Singh, Spectrum's chief commercial officer. "The recent expansion of our commercial infrastructure positions us to prepare for another successful launch in the near future".

"We believe that this partnership will bring together synergies in our combined capabilities that will result in significant efficiencies in Belinostat's development," said Professor Peter Buhl Jensen, MD, chief executive officer of TopoTarget A/S. "Spectrum as a partner is ideally suited to exploit the full benefits of the drug for cancer patients."

Under terms of the agreement, Spectrum licensed the rights to Belinostat for North America and India, and an option for China, in exchange for an upfront cash payment of $30 million, potential milestone payments of up to $320 million, and one million shares of Spectrum common stock based upon the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as double-digit royalties on net sales of Belinostat. Spectrum and TopoTarget will jointly fund development activities, whereby clinical trial costs will be 70% borne by Spectrum, and 30% by TopoTarget for new trials to be initiated.

The American cancer Society estimates that approximately 66,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were diagnosed in 2009 and of these, approximately 5,600 are classified as Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). PTCL is a group of 13 diverse types of T-cell lymphoma. Most cases of PTCL occur during adulthood, are aggressive in nature and are difficult to manage with current chemotherapies. Many patients with PTCL are treated with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) or a CHOP-like regimen, but often patients will stop responding to these therapies. Studies show that only 25-40% of patients will be alive five years after treatment for PTCL, creating a real need for more effective therapies.

Belinostat is a Class I and II HDAC inhibitor that is being studied in multiple clinical trials as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of various haematological and solid cancers. Its anticancer effect is thought to be mediated through multiple mechanisms of action, including the inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death), inhibition of angiogenesis, induction of differentiation, and the resensitization of cells that have overcome drug resistance to anticancer agents such as platinums, taxanes and topoisomerase II inhibitors. Belinostat is the only HDAC inhibitor in clinical development with multiple potential routes of administration, including intravenous administration, continuous intravenous infusion and oral administration.

Belinostat is currently in registrational trial, under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), as a monotherapy for Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL), an indication which has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The registrational trial is in an open-label, multicenter, single arm efficacy and safety study in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma, who have failed at least one prior systemic therapy. The primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR).

TopoTarget A/S is an international biotech company headquartered in Denmark, dedicated to finding ''Answers for Cancer'' and developing improved cancer therapies. The company was founded and is run by clinical cancer specialists and combines years of hands-on clinical experience with in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer.