- PharmaDrug (BUZZ) is reporting positive preclinical study results using cepharanthine to treat cancers
- The preclinical study examines cepharanthine’s anti-cancer properties in a panel of sixty solid and liquid cancer cell types
- Eleven cancer cell lines were markedly responsive to cepharanthine with 25 line results still to be received
- The company is planning in vitro and tumour efficacy studies to strengthen future patents and broaden its candidate’s commercial appeal
- PharmaDrug is focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled substances and natural medicines
- PharmaDrug (BUZZ) is unchanged at $0.07 per share
PharmaDrug (BUZZ) is reporting positive preclinical study results using cepharanthine to treat cancers.
Cepharanthine has been shown to restore cancer cell sensitivity to multiple unrelated classes of chemotherapy. However, its low oral bioavailability has represented a major obstacle to realizing its full clinical potential.
The company is focused on advancing the clinical development of an improved oral formulation of cepharanthine, PD-001, to treat rare cancers and infectious diseases.
The preclinical study examines cepharanthine’s anti-cancer properties in a panel of sixty solid and liquid cancer cell types by comparing cell growth inhibition following exposure to current standard of care agents. Eleven cancer cell lines were markedly responsive to cepharanthine at concentrations expected to be safe and feasible for humans. The company expects the final 25 cell line results within the next two weeks.
As a next step, PharmaDrug will initiate an in vitro efficacy study to assess cepharanthine’s potential to provide synergistic benefits in combination with current standard of care agents.
PharmaDrug will use findings from its studies to execute parallel tumour efficacy studies in gold-standard animal models.
The outcomes of these studies are anticipated to strengthen the foundation of future provisional patents, create downstream licensing opportunities and lay a clear path for electing a cancer indication for PharmaDrug’s internal development program.
The company is now filing provisional patents on cepharanthine for specific cancers and initiating scale-up processes and GMP production of PD-001 in preparation for its first-in-human clinical trial.
Daniel Cohen, CEO of PharmaDrug, commented,
“Cepharanthine is on its way to establishing itself as a once per day, oral anti-cancer therapeutic with a well-established safety profile which will pave the way for an expedited clinical development pathway and future partnering opportunities with pharmaceutical companies. We look forward to providing continued updates on PD-001 with the aim of working towards a first-in-human, proof-of-concept clinical trial under an FDA IND approval.”
PharmaDrug is focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled substances and natural medicines.
PharmaDrug (BUZZ) is unchanged at $0.07 per share as of 9:30 am ET.
