By Debbie Strickland

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s oral therapy for cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) — Targretin Capsules — produced favorable interim results in Phase II/III trials that tested a high dose of the drug in both early and advanced cases that were refractory to or intolerant of prior therapy.

The findings for the first 36 patients enrolled in the two multicenter trials were presented at the European Society for Dermatologic Research Cutaneous Lymphoma meeting, in Berlin.

Overall, 41 percent achieved a complete or partial response to high-dose Targretin.

Among early stage patients, 37 percent responded to a high dose of the drug vs. zero percent to low-dose Targretin. The drug was tested only at the high dosage in advanced patients, 43 percent of whom responded.

"Although a number of the higher dose patients have required dose modifications for related side effects, Targretin Capsules have been reasonably well tolerated in the study population," said Richard Yocum, medical director of clinical research at Ligand. "The majority of the higher-dose drug-related adverse events consisted of reversible neutropenia . . . without infectious complications and elevation of serum triglycerides."

These early Phase II/III results paralleled interim results of Phase I/II Targretin Topical Gel CTCL studies, in which 43 percent of patients achieved clinically significant improvement for signs and symptoms of the disease.

Targretin is a synthetic retinoid analogue that selectively activates a subclass of retinoid receptors called retinoid X receptors, which play an important role in several cellular activities, including apoptosis.

Phase II/III trials for Targretin Capsules in CTCL will enroll about 120 patients at more than 30 centers in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Ligand plans to file new drug applications with the FDA for both the capsules and the topical gel formulation upon completion of the Phase III studies in the second half of 1998.

Ligand's shares closed Monday at $16.50, up $0.25. *