18 June 2013 - 18 June 2013 - British Silence Therapeutics plc (LON:SLN) said today that the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has recommended the continuation of the Phase Ib/IIa study of its RNAi therapeutic Atu027 in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer qualifying for first-line-treatment.

The clinical trial assesses Atu027 in combination with gemcitabine, a chemotherapy agent. The company added that the DSMB's decision follows a review of data from the completed safety lead-in period in patients with refractory cancer disease supporting the tolerability of this combination.

Silence said it will begin recruiting patients with loco-regionally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer, the main part of the Phase Ib/IIa study. The company added that it expects to recruit all patients by the middle of next year and finalise one-year follow-up on them by mid-2015.