Liposome Technology Inc.'s (NASDAQ:LTIZ) liposomal formulation of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin Doxil is able to deliver more drug to the disease site than the free version of the drug, and it appears to have a safety profile similar to that of the unencapsulated drug, according to results presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Fla.

The preclinical trials in 18 AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), demonstrated that Doxil delivers five to 11 times more drug than comparable single doses of Adriamycin (free unencapsulated doxorubicin). "We have demonstrated a 300- fold increase in the mean distribution half life of Doxil in blood plasma compared to free drug," said Donald Northfelt, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

"This permitted the extended circulation of the drug and, therefore, an increased opportunity for its accumulation at targeted disease sites through the leaky vasculature associated with tumors," he said.

And data from a Phase II study on 38 AIDS patients with advanced KS lesions presented at ASCO by Frank Goebel of the University of Munich demonstrated that Doxil is efficacious in treating these lesions: 95 percent of the patients achieved at least a partial response with Doxil therapy. -- Jennifer Van Brunt

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