LEXINGTON, Mass., Jul 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. SNTA +1.27% , a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that the first patient has been treated in a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of ganetespib in combination with docetaxel in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Ganetespib is a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) that is structurally unrelated to first-generation, ansamycin-family Hsp90 inhibitors such as 17-AAG or IPI-504, and has shown superior activity to these agents in preclinical studies. Ganetespib is currently being studied in broad range of Phase 2 trials, including NSCLC, with nearly 400 patients treated to date.