TLC CHAIRMAN LOOKS BACK ON 1991

The Liposome Company experienced a marked increase in the breadth of its product portfolio in 1991, with some of its leading products heading towards late-stage clinial trials, according to Charles Baker, chairman and chief executive of the company. TLC specializes in liposome encapsulation of drugs, which is claimed to decrease toxicity while allowing higher dosing and often increased efficacy.

TLC saw positive Phase II clinical trial results with all three of its leading products, TLC ABLC (amphotericin B lipid complex), TLC D-99 (liposomal doxorubicin) and TLC G-65 (liposomal gentamicin). Furthermore, studies of TLC C-53, a cell adhesion antagonist, have yielded encouraging results in preclinical models of adult respiratory distress syndrome and acute myocardial infarction. (An in-depth review of these results will be included in the next issue of the Marketletter).

TLC ABLC, a broad-spectrum antifungal targeted at severe infections such as cryptococcal meningitis which affect AIDS patients, is licensed to Bristol-Myers Squibb. The product has now entered Phase III testing in the USA and Europe for a variety of fungal infections, including candidiasis, which is potentially the biggest market for the drug. Other studies are assessing TLC ABLC's safety and efficacy in cutaneous leishmaniasis and coccidiomycosis.