Canadians’ data heading to ASCO

Versant Partners analyst Doug Loe has compiled a list of six biotech companies that will have data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting on June 4 to 8.  He expects:

· AEterna Zentaris (NASDAQ:AEZS; TSX:AEZ) to report final data from its 43-patient Phase 2 advanced ovarian cancer trial with its AEZS-108 drug, of which top-line data were originally reported last November; and

· DiagnoCure’s (TSX:CUR) partner Gen-Probe and other clinical collaborators to present two studies further supporting utility of DiagnoCure’s prostate cancer marker PCA3; and

· OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:OGXI) and collaborators to report final data from a 48-patient Phase 1 study testing heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27)-targeted antisense drug OGX-427; and

· Oncolytics Biotech (TSX:ONC;NASDAQ: ONCY) and collaborators to report final data testing Reolysin in a Phase 2 open-label head and neck cancer trial plus two Phase 1/2 studies in lung and ovarian cancer; and

· Tekmira Pharmaceuticals’ (TSX:TKM) partner Alnylam to report interim Phase 1 data from a 58-patient advanced solid tumour trial testing siRNA candidate ALN-VSP02; and

· YM BioSciences’ (TSX:YM; AMEX: YMI) lead EGFr-targeted antibody drug nimotuzumab to be the subject of several clinical updates by partners.