30 January 2012 - US biopharmaceutical company Ziopharm Oncology Inc (NASDAQ:ZIOP) today said that the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) had recommended continuation of its Phase III trial of Zymafos (palifosfamide) for the treatment of patients with soft-tissue cancer.

In the committee's opinion, the trial of the drug must continue as envisaged. This is the body's third such recommendation, Ziopharm said in a statement.

The study, dubbed PICASSO 3, is expected to complete patient recruitment by the end of the first quarter. The outcome of the trial is expected in the second half of the year, Ziopharm added.