Oxigene Inc. said patients with inoperable squamous cell lungcarcinoma who received Sensamide as adjunctive therapy to radiationsurvived two to three and one-half times longer than patients receivingradiation alone.The drug, which is the New York company's formulation of thechemical compound metoclopramide, was administered, along withradiation, to 24 non-small cell lung cancer patients in a Phase I trialconducted at the University of Lund, Sweden. Seventeen of the patientshave been followed for a year or longer. Results were reported in aconference call with analysts Thursday.As of this month, the median survival rate of patients treated withSensamide plus 40 to 60 grays of radiation is one year and five months.Sixty-five percent of patients survived more than one year. Ten of the24 patients are still living. In 11 historical patients who received dosesof 40 to 60 grays of radiation, median survival was 4.9 months. One-year survival was 27 percent.Oxigene said it is enrolling 226 patients in a Sensamide plus radiationPhase II/III trial at the University of Lund.Metoclopramide has been in use for years as anti-nauseant. ButOxigene is using the drug based on its ability to inhibit one of the keyenzymes that repairs damaged DNA in genes. It inhibits the tumorDNA repair enzyme adenosine diphosphoribosyl tranferase. _ JimShrine

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