Human Trials Expected for EntreMed Drugs

Initial human tests of EntreMed Inc.’s angiostatin and endostatin experimental drugs to fight cancer could begin once enough of the compounds can be made, most likely by next year, said Judah Folkman, the Harvard University cancer researcher who discovered the drugs. Rockville, Md.-based EntreMed is developing the two drugs, which have been shown to shrink tumors in mice, in a partnership with the government’s National Cancer Institute. The trials could begin within the next six months to two years, depending on how quickly researchers can produce enough of a human version of the drugs. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve human testing of angiostatin and endostatin. That can happen only once adequate supplies are on hand, Folkman said.