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news.ChemGenex has received European patent allowance for its investigational agent, Quinamed, to improve the anticancer effects of common chemotherapeutics, including those manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly.
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Common chemotherapeutics that Quinamed improves or ‘chemopotentiates’ include cisplatin (Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Platinol), paclitaxel (Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Taxol), vinblastine (Eli Lilly’s Velban) and camptothecin (a trademark of the Research Triangle Institute).
Quinamed is currently undergoing phase II human clinical testing as a potential treatment for hormone refractory prostate cancer. Although currently approved antiproliferative agents offer therapeutic activity against many forms of cancers, improvements in tumor response rates, duration of response and ultimately patient survival are still sought for these agents.
ChemGenex researchers have determined that naphthalimides and analogs of the class of compounds, including Quinamed, can potentiate the antitumor effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, in particular agents affecting the integrity of nucleic acids such as DNA.
“This initial patent will provide protection for the longer term use of Quinamed in conjunction with other agents,” said Dr Greg Collier, CEO of ChemGenex. “Other patent applications cover the composition of matter for amonafide dihydrochloride, and for a variety of other amonafide salts created with organic acids.”