LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2012-- Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA) announced today that interim results of the Phase 2b portion of the GALAXY program will be presented on November 28, 2012 at 12:15 p.m. (JST) during the “Highlights of Oral Presentations” session at the Fifth Asia Pacific Lung Cancer Conference (APLCC 2012) in Fukuoka City, Japan. Dr. Christian Manegold, Professor of Medicine and head of Interdisciplinary Thoracic Oncology in the Department of Surgery at University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, in Mannheim, Germany, will present the data, focusing on prior results highlighted at the 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) last September.

The 800-patient Phase 2b/3 GALAXY program is designed to compare single agent docetaxel versus docetaxel plus ganetespib, a potent and selective Hsp90 inhibitor, as second-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

About Ganetespib

Ganetespib is a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) that is structurally unrelated to first-generation, ansamycin-related Hsp90 inhibitors. In preclinical experiments, ganetespib has shown activity in multiple tumor models both as a single agent and in combination with certain widely used cancer agents. Company-sponsored clinical trials with ganetespib include 1) the GALAXY Phase 2b/3 program evaluating ganetespib in combination with docetaxel as second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 2) the CHIARA Phase 2 trial evaluating ganetespib monotherapy in ALK+ NSCLC, and 3) the ENCHANT Phase 2 trial evaluating ganetespib as first-line treatment for HER2+ and triple-negative metastatic breast cancer. In addition, ganetespib is being evaluated in investigator-sponsored trials including lung, breast, prostate, gastric, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers as well as ocular melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma. Information on these trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About the GALAXY Trials™

The GALAXY (Ganetespib Assessment in Lung cAncer with docetaXel) program consists of two randomized trials comparing the combination of ganetespib and docetaxel versus docetaxel alone in patients with Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who have received one prior systemic therapy: a 300-patient Phase 2b study to determine the patient population most likely to derive benefit from ganetespib, and a 500-patient Phase 3 pivotal trial enriched for this identified population. More information about the GALAXY trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01348126).

About Hsp90

Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone required for the proper folding and activation of many cancer-promoting proteins, and is recognized as a key facilitator of cancer cell growth and survival. Many of the “client proteins” of Hsp90 – such as ALK, AKT, BCR-ABL, BRAF, KIT, MET, EGFR, FLT3, HER2, HIF-1alpha, PDGFRA, VEGFR are the targets of clinically validated cancer drugs. In preclinical studies, inhibiting Hsp90 causes the degradation of multiple client proteins and leads to cancer cell death.

About Synta Pharmaceuticals

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to extend and enhance the lives of patients with severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Synta has a unique chemical compound library, an integrated discovery engine, and a diverse pipeline of clinical- and preclinical-stage drug candidates with distinct mechanisms of action and novel chemical structures. All Synta drug candidates were invented by Synta scientists using our compound library and discovery capabilities. For more information, please visit www.syntapharma.com.

Source: Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Investor Relations:
Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.
George Farmer, 781-541-7125
[email protected]