Anticancer Drugs In Development In Japan

There are 11 anticancer agents in early clinical trials in Japan at present, reported Makoto Ogawa, director of the Aichi Cancer Center, at the International Symposium on Cancer Treatment in Nagoya, Japan, last month.

Among the drugs in development focused on by Dr Ogawa was SM-5887, developed by Sumitomo. The drug, an analog of daunorubicin, showed an efficacy rate of 43% in a Phase II study on malignant lymphoma. In a comparative study between doxorubicin and SM-5887 in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the SM-5887 group showed a complete response rate of 46.2%, higher than that for doxorubicin. The drug is currently in Phase II, reports Pharma Japan.

Other drugs outlined by Dr Ogawa included KW2189, an antibiotic anticancer agent synthesized by Kyowa Hakko Kogyo. Its mechanism of action centers around the severing of the DNA chain, and it has shown activity against melanoma, and tumors resistant to doxorubicin, cisplatin and mitomycin C. In preclinical studies, hematologic toxicity, especially thrombopenia, occurred. The product is currently in Phase I.