BeyondSpring Inc. announced that the company has enrolled the first patient at the Hematology /Oncology Northshore, Illinois, in its Phase 2/3 study of BeyondSpring’s lead asset, Plinabulin, for the prevention of neutropenia, in combination with docetaxel. Plinabulin has produced encouraging data regarding the reduction of severe neutropenia, a common and potentially life-threatening adverse effect of chemotherapy. Plinabulin can be administered one hour after chemotherapy and has the potential to be an attractive alternative to G-CSF, the current standard of care for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Plinabulin would offer a same-day dosing advantage over G-CSF, which is typically administered 24 hours after chemotherapy, per G-CSF label (next-day dosing), by which time significant damage to the neutrophils can occur. Additionally, Plinabulin has demonstrated, in the Phase 2 portion of a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, a reduction in clinical sequelae associated with docetaxel-induced neutropenia, including infections, sepsis, hospitalizations and the need for docetaxel dose reductions. Neutropenia, a common side effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients, is the destruction of a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) that is a key component of the innate immune system. Neutrophils are a patient’s first line of defense against infections, and patients with severe (grade 4) neutropenia (an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils in the blood) are more susceptible to severe bacterial, viral and fungal infections and sepsis, which require hospitalization.