A drug which could fill a major gap in the treatment of aggressive cancers has been developed by Sunshine Biopharma, a development stage pharmaceutical company focused on drugs for the treatment of various forms of cancer.
The company’s lead compound, Adva-27a, has been shown to be remarkably effective in dealing with the Topoisomerase II (Top2) gene, which is responsible for the production of Top2, associated with breast, prostate, colon, lung, stomach, and ovarian cancer. Aggressive cancer cells produce too much Top2, and there are currently no satisfactory therapies for Top2 positive patients. The demonstrated effectiveness of Sunshine’s Adva-27a is seen as a breakthrough. Adva-27a is, for example, 16 times more effective at killing multi-drug resistant breast cancer cells than Etoposide, the most commonly used drug.
In the case of breast cancer, although progress continues to be made, there are 230,000 new cases each year in the U.S. alone, with 2.5 million American women currently living with the disease. There are two genes associated with aggressive forms of breast cancer, Her2 and Top2. Herceptin, a drug marketed by Roche, is effective for Her2 positive patients, driving sales of roughly $1.8 billion annually. With no effective therapy for Top2, Adva-27a is likely to be granted fast-track designation, especially since it could help terminally ill patients. The drug has been undergoing pre-clinical trials, with very positive results.
In addition, the Adva-27a can be used to treat other Top2 positive cancer types, including lung, colon, prostate, and other common forms of cancer. The drug is unaffected by P-Glycoprotein, the enzyme responsible for making cancer cells resistant to anti-tumor drugs. It also has an excellent clearance time, reducing toxicity risks, and clearance is independent of Cytochrome P450, a mechanism that is less likely to produce toxic intermediates.
For additional information, visit the company’s websites at www.SunshineBiopharma.com
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