# Telik

Source: https://onco.cc/companies/telik/  
OnCo record `telik` (Company). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Telik was a Palo Alto biotech whose glutathione analogue canfosfamide (Telcyta) failed its phase 3 trials in ovarian and lung cancer in the 2000s, a reminder that late-stage failure is the norm in oncology.

## Summary

Telik, Inc., founded in 1988 in Palo Alto, California, developed canfosfamide (TLK286, Telcyta), a prodrug activated by glutathione S-transferase P1-1 that is overexpressed in many tumours. It led phase 3 trials in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, none of which met their primary endpoints, and the company later wound down its programmes. Its trials remain on ClinicalTrials.gov under Telik as lead sponsor.

## Fields

- Kind: Company
- Last checked: 2026-09-11
- Also known as: Telik, Inc.
- Tags: ctgov-sponsor
- HQ: Palo Alto, CA
- Type: biotech
- Website: http://telik.com

## Sources

- Official website: http://telik.com
- ClinicalTrials.gov: trials led by Telik, Inc.: https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?lead=Telik%2C%20Inc.
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17146330

## Connected records

- cancers: [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/)
- terms: [Clinical trial](https://onco.cc/terms/clinical-trial/), [Pivotal (registrational) trial](https://onco.cc/terms/pivotal-trial/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/telik.json