Drugs moving into the clinic: 6
The sixth in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved
from preclinical research into clinical testing via the
announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to
industry regulators.
from preclinical research into clinical testing via the
announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to
industry regulators.
Sponsor | Name | Indication | Mechanism |
---|---|---|---|
Pharmacopeia & Schering-Plough | PS522501 | metabolic diseases | Schering-Plough refused to comment |
Callisto Pharmaceuticals | L-Annamycin | Oncology - refractory or relapsed acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in paediatric patients | Anthracyclines inhibit DNA & RNA synthesis by intercalating between base pairs & prevent cell replication. NB earlier Phase I trial in adults |
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals & anonymous licensee | undisclosed | oncology | European trial of drug designed using tumour necrosis therapy technology |
Cytogen Corporation | CYT-500 | oncology - prostate cancer | monoclonal antibody targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and carrying Lutetium 177 |
Panacos Pharmaceuticals | PA-1050040 (a.k.a. PA-040) | HIV | HIV maturation inhibitor.' Acts at same point in HIV lifecycle as protease inhibitors but attaches to GAG complex preventing cleavage of capsid protein and SP1. Thus, hoped to still be effective on resistant viral strains. NB. Analogue of PA-457, a first-in-class compound in Phase IIb trials. |
Dynavax Technologies | unnamed | chronic hepatitis B virus | combines, for the first time, the surface and core antigen of HBV. Based on short, synthetic oligonucleotides to activate toll-like receptor 9 and induce immune response. |
Sunesis Pharmaceuticals | SNS-314 | oncology | Small molecule aurora kinase A, B, and C inhibitor to prevent cancer cell growth and division NB. Investigational New Drug (IND) application |
Alkermes | ALKS 29 | Addiction - Alcohol Dependance | Undisclosed. NB Phase I/II trial. |