GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SHPH) (“Shuttle Pharma”), a discovery and development stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on improving outcomes for cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), announced today that the first three patients in its Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Ropidoxuridine for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma have been successfully dosed.

Ropidoxuridine (IPdR) is Shuttle Pharma's lead candidate radiation sensitizer for use in combination with RT to treat brain tumors (glioblastoma), a deadly malignancy of the brain with no known cure. Shuttle has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA, providing potential marketing exclusivity upon first FDA approval for the disease.

The Phase 2 clinical trial will be conducted with the most aggressive brain tumors out there – IDH wild-type, methylation negative glioblastoma patients. This particular group of patients at this time only have radiation as the standard of care, with more than half of the patients surviving for less than 12 months after diagnosis. The Phase 2 trial will consist initially of 40 patients randomized into two different doses (20 @ 1,200 mg/day and 20 @ 960 mg/day) to determine an optimal dose. Once the Company determines the optimal dose, it will then add an additional 14 patients on the optimal dose allowing for the achievement of statistical significance with the end point being that of survival compared to historical controls. The Company expects the trial to be completed over a period of 18 to 24 months.

“The initiation of patient dosing in our Phase 2 trial of Ropidoxuridine for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma is a significant milestone for both Shuttle Pharma and the thousands of patients with brain tumors who currently lack effective therapies,” commented Shuttle Pharma's Chairman and CEO, Anatoly Dritschilo, M.D. “The results of this trial will be important as Shuttle Pharma looks to leverage radiation sensitizers to increase cancer cure rates, prolong patient survival and improve quality of life for patients suffering from glioblastoma.”

An estimated 800,000 patients in the US are treated with radiation therapy for their cancers yearly. According to the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Radiation Oncologists, about 50% are treated for curative purposes and the balance for therapeutic care. The market opportunity for radiation sensitizers lies with the 400,000 patients treated for curative purposes, with this number expected to grow by more than 22% over the next five years.