Pharmaceutical Business review

SuperGen wins orphan drug designation for brain cancer drug

The FDA has accepted SuperGen’s application upon review of data from in vitro studies in glioblastoma cell lines that demonstrate that either MP-470 or ionizing radiation alone induce cell death, but when used in combination they synergistically increase cell death by more than two-fold over either agent alone.

MP-470 is currently being evaluated in Phase I trials as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy in patients with solid tumors, and a Phase Ib study in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is planned.

Gregory Berk, chief medical officer of SuperGen, said: “This designation not only underscores the need for improved therapies in GBM, it also underscores the company’s development strategy in pursuing areas of unmet need.”