Ligand Presents Phase IIa Data on Captisol-Enabled, Propylene Glycol-Free Melphalan at ASCO 2011

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated LGND today announced that interim data from a Phase IIa study with its Captisol-enabled, propylene glycol-free, Melphalan program was featured today in a poster presentation at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, June 3-7, 2011. This Phase IIa study compared the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of a new propylene glycol-free Melphalan intravenous formulation and the current clinically used intravenous formulation of Melphalan for multiple myeloma patients undergoing autologous transplantation. This Captisol-enabled product is expected to allow for longer administration durations and slower infusion rates, potentially enabling clinicians to safely achieve a higher dose intensity of pre-transplant chemotherapy.