Infinity Pharmaceuticals Starts First Clinical Trial of Oral Hsp-90 Blocker

Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFI]]), the Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it has started its first clinical trial for IPI-493, an oral drug designed to block proteins that support tumor growth. The drug is meant to inhibit Hsp-90, like another intravenously-delivered compound, IPI-504, that’s being prepared for a pivotal clinical trial before the end of September. “We believe this is a step in the right direction,” said Michael King, an analyst with Rodman & Renshaw, in a note to clients, because an oral drug may be preferred by doctors and patients.

Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.