Enzon gets go-ahead to trial cancer drug

The company plans to begin a phase I trial investigating PEG-SN38 in patients with solid tumors or lymphoma in the fist half of this year.

PEG-SN38 is the company’s pegylated form of SN38, the active metabolite of the cancer drug Camptosar. Camptosar, made by Pfizer, is used to treat cancers of the colon and rectum.

Using Enzon’s new PEGylation technology, the company developed PEG-SN38, which results in a compound with excellent pharmaceutical properties as shown in animal models: increased solubility, higher exposure, and longer half-life than unmodified SN38.

Jeffrey Buchalter, chairman and CEO of Enzon, said: “By using our new PEGylation technology, our goal is to transform this compound into a new anticancer agent that offers advantages over current therapies.”