Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, a discovery and development stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on improving outcomes for cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), announced today it has entered into agreements with two additional site locations to administer the Phase 2 clinical trial of Ropidoxuridine for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma. Four of the planned six trial sites are now prepared to enroll patients in the clinical trial, including the UVA Cancer Center, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute, and Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida.

“I am pleased to report yet another key milestone in the advancement of our Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma, having successfully onboarded two additional nationally recognized cancer centers,” commented Shuttle Pharma's Chairman and CEO, Anatoly Dritschilo, M.D. “Each of the four initial locations have completed site initiation visits and are fully ready to begin treating patients, with the final two sites set to come on board in the coming weeks. The six universities and hospitals we have selected to participate in this important clinical trial are those we deem to be most likely to treat IDH wild-type, methylation negative glioblastoma patients, the target of the clinical trial, which should allow for more rapid enrollment of the Phase 2 trial.”

Ropidoxuridine (IPdR) is Shuttle Pharma's lead candidate radiation sensitizer for use in combination with RT to treat brain tumors (glioblastoma), a deadly malignancy of the brain with no known cure. Shuttle has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA, providing potential marketing exclusivity upon first FDA approval for the disease.

The Phase 2 clinical trial will enroll patients with the most aggressive brain tumors out there – IDH wild-type, methylation negative glioblastoma. Presently, radiation is the only approved standard of care for this particular group of patients, with more than half of the patients surviving for less than 12 months after diagnosis. Shuttle Pharma’s Phase 2 clinical trial will consist initially of 40 patients randomized into two different doses (20 @ 1,200 mg/day and 20 @ 960 mg/day) to determine an optimal dose. Once the Company determines the optimal dose, it will then add an additional 14 patients on the optimal dosage allowing for the achievement of statistical significance with the end point being that of survival as compared to historical controls. The Company expects the trial to be completed over a period of 18 to 24 months.

An estimated 800,000 patients in the US are treated with radiation therapy for their cancers yearly. According to the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Radiation Oncologists, about 50% are treated for curative purposes and the balance for therapeutic care. The market opportunity for radiation sensitizers lies with the 400,000 patients treated for curative purposes, with this number expected to grow by more than 22% over the next five years.