Liposome Technology Inc. on Tuesday announced the start of aU.S. Phase I/II trial of its treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma inAIDS patients, and gave interim data on similar studies underway in AIDS patients in Europe and Israel.

Patients treated to date with the liposomal formulation of theanti-cancer drug doxorubicin have shown promising responses,the Menlo Park, Calif., company said. Liposome Technology'sStealth liposome can deliver the drug to tumor tissue, whileevading attempts of the body's metabolic machinery to get ridof it.

Patients in a European trial have responded to lower doses ofthe chemotherapeutic without experiencing the toxicity typicalof other treatments available for Kaposi's.

Israeli patients have kept the liposomal doxorubicin in thebloodstream longer, and have had more drug accumulation intheir tumors, compared with free doxorubicin, the companysaid.

Available therapies for Kaposi's sarcoma are limited by toxicitythat develops with the long-term use of chemotherapeutics orbiologics such as interferon. Yet prolonged treatments arerequired to keep the lesions in remission in AIDS patients.

The company (NASDAQ:LTIZ) cautioned that the results arepreliminary.

The stock gained $1.88 to $21.25.

-- Roberta Friedman, Ph.D. Special to BioWorld

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