Quinamed (amonafide dihydrochloride) is a novel naphthalimide analog currently in a phase II clinical trial for hormone refractory prostate cancer.
In June 2004, ChemGenex investigators reported results from a 32-patient phase I/II study of Quinamed, showing some preliminary responses to treatment in patients with advanced prostate, ovarian and gastric cancers. The investigators have now updated that data and reported that four of the responding patients have continued to benefit from treatment with Quinamed.
One patient with hormone refractory prostate cancer had a 40% reduction in tumor volume and a 50% reduction in a key prostate cancer marker; two patients with refractory metastatic ovarian cancer experienced a stabilization in tumor growth; and a patient with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal cancer (GIST) continues to respond to Quinamed after 16 months of therapy.
Data from preclinical studies demonstrated the ability of Quinamed to significantly enhance, or chemopotentiate, the effects of standard chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-FU, cisplatin and camptothecin in experimental animal models. ChemGenex researchers observed the chemopotentiation activity independent of whether the drug was administered orally or systemically.