Company* (Symbol) |
Product |
Description |
Indication |
Status (Date) |
CANCER | ||||
AEterna Laboratories Inc. (Canada; AELA; TSE:AEL) |
Neovastat/AE-941 |
Shark cartilage extracted with anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties |
Renal cell carcinoma |
Phase III trial is under way in the U.S., Canada and Europe (10/16) |
Aronex PharmaceuticalsInc. (ARNX) |
Atragen |
Liposomal formulation of tretinoin (all transretinoic acid) |
Acute promyelocytic leukemia |
Investigators reported Phase II trial data at the European Society of Medical Oncology meeting; Atragen demonstrated the potential to induce complete remission (10/16) |
Biomira Inc. (BIOM;TSE:BRA) |
BLP25 |
Synthetic MUC1 therapeutic vaccine consisting of 25-amino-acid sequence of the MUC1 cancer mucin, encapsulated in liposomes |
Non-small-cell lung cancer |
Investigators presented Phase I/II data at the Expo 2000 World Exposition showing the vaccine was well tolerated and capable of generating an immune response; trial was held in Canada (10/17) |
Cantab Pharmaceuticals plc (UK; LSE:CTB) |
DISC-GMCSF |
Consists of Cantab's DISC (disabled infectious single cycle) herpes simplex virus, genetically engineered so it can go through only one replication cycle, carrying the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor gene |
Metastatic melanoma |
Company began a Phase I trial of the vaccine (10/18**) |
Cell TherapeuticsInc. (CTIC) |
Trisenox |
Arsenic trioxide injection |
Acute promyelocytic leukemia |
Trisenox has been granted orphan medicinal product status by the European Commision (10/25) |
Hemosol Inc. (Canada; TSE:HML) |
HML-115 |
Autologous gamma-delta T-cell infusion |
Chronic myeloid leukemia |
Company received approval to begin a Phase I study in Canada (10/17) |
Ilex Oncology Inc. (ILXO) and Symphar SA (Switzerland) |
Apomine |
Orally active biophosphonate tetra-ester derivative |
Prostate cancer |
Companies opened a Phase II trial for patient accrual in Lyon, France (10/23) |
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (LGND) |
Panretin 0.1% gel (FDA-approved) |
Topical therapy; Aliretinoin |
Cutaneous lesions in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma |
European Commission granted marketing authorization (10/17) |
Oxford BioMedica plc (UK) |
TroVax |
Vaccine; targeted at tumor-associated antigens |
Colorectal cancer |
Company received approval in the UK to enter Phase I/II trials at the end of the year (10/16) |
Progen Industries Ltd. (Australia; PGLAF) |
PI-88 |
Retailored polysaccharide with a sulfate chain attached |
Cancer |
Healthy volunteer studies began in England (10/3) |
Select Therapeutics Inc. (OTC BB:SLPU) |
VeroPulse |
Verotoxin formulation |
Multiple myeloma |
Select's Canadian subsidiary submitted an IND application in Canada to conduct the first clinical trial of VeroPulse for the ex vivo purging of tumor cells from autologous stem cells in patients with multiple myeloma (10/30) |
Xenova Group plc (UK; XNVA; LSE:XEN) |
XR9576 |
P-glycoprotein pump inhibitor |
Cancer |
Company confirmed a positive outcome in the second of three Phase IIa pharmacokinetic trials in which XR9576 was administered in combination with doxorubicin (10/18) |
CARDIOVASCULAR | ||||
D-Pharm Ltd. (Israel)* |
DP-b99 |
Mechanism of action targets apoptosis |
Stroke and traumatic brain injury |
Company completed a Phase I safety assessment study and is initiating Phase II studies in Europe (10/16) |
Medicure Inc. (CDNX:MPH) |
Cardoxal |
Oral therapeutic |
Myocardial infarction and ischemic reperfusion injury |
Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate approved the company's IND application (10/19); company commenced its first clinical trial (10/25) |
Progen Industries Ltd. (Australia; PGLAF) |
PI-88 |
Retailored polysaccharide with a sulfate chain attached |
Cardiovascular disease |
Healthy volunteer studies began in England (10/3) |
ThromboGenics Ltd.* |
PEG-Sak |
Form of staphylokinase, a thrombolytic protein, and a polyethylene glycol tag |
Acute myocardial infarction |
Pilot clinical trial results were published in the October issue of Circulation; the trial, held in Belgium, demonstrated that PEG-Sak effectively dissolved heart attack clots when given as a single bolus (10/26) |
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM | ||||
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (NBIX) |
NBI 5788 |
Altered peptide ligand targeting T cells that bind to myelin sheath |
Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis |
Company's double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II data were published in the October edition of Nature Medicine; showed evidence of clinical benefit (10/2) |
INFECTION | ||||
Avanir Pharmaceuticals (AMEX:AVN) |
Abreva (FDA-approved) |
Docosanol 10% cream |
Cold sores |
Company filed a new drug submission with the Canadian Therapeutic Products Programme (10/3) |
Aviron (AVIR) and SmithKline Beecham Biologicals (UK; NYSE:SBH) |
Investigational vaccine |
Vaccine combines EBV vaccine technology with adjuvant technology |
Epstein-Barr virus |
Company initiated a Phase II randomized, double-blind trial being conducted at two universities in Belgium (10/25) |
Chiron Corp. (CHIR) |
Menjugate |
Conjugate vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis sero group C |
Meningococcal disease |
The UK's Medicines Control Agency and the Irish Medicines Board approved Menjugate for immunizing infants aged 2 months and older against meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (10/17) |
Immtech International Inc. (IMMT) |
DB289 |
Oral, anti-infective |
Pneumocystis carini pneumonia |
Company received approval to begin a Phase I trial in 72 volunteers in Berlin (10/13) |
StressGen Biotechnologies (SSB:TSE) |
HspE7 |
Recombinant fusion protein composed of heat shock protein 65 from Mycobacterium bovis BCG and the protein E7 from HPV type 16 |
Human papilloma-virus-related anal dysplasia |
Phase II data confirm activity of HspE7, which converts 75% of patients from high-grade to low-grade anal dysplasia at six months; data were presented at Cancer Vaccines 2000 (10/3) |
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) and Glaxo Wellcome plc (UK; NYSE:GLX) |
Agenerase |
Protease inhibitor |
HIV |
Vertex and Glaxo received approval from the European Commission to market Agenerase in the European Union in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV (10/23) |
MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
Alizyme plc (UK; LSE:AZM) |
ATL-1251 |
5-HT4 receptor agonist/5-HT3 receptor antagonist |
Irritable bowel syndrome |
Alizyme announced positive results of a Phase IIa trial involving 20 patients tested at centers in the UK and Belgium (10/18**) |
Alizyme plc (UK; LSE:AZM) |
ATL-962 |
Lipase inhibitor that prevents the breakdown of fat in the gut |
Obesity |
Company received approval to start a Phase Ib trial in a specialist center in Germany (10/18**) |
Coley Pharmaceutical Group* |
CpG compound |
Immune modulator designed to redirect hypersensitive immune responses into more normal responses |
Asthma/allergy |
Company initiated Phase II trials at Southampton General Hospital in the UK; trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the CpG product (10/19) |
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CGPI) |
Periostat |
Doxycyline hyclate 20mg |
Adult periodontitis |
Company announced Periostat is now available for prescription in the UK (10/5) |
Collateral Therapeutics Inc. (CLTX) and Schering AG |
Genvascor |
Non-surgical angiogenic |
Peripheral vascular disease |
Schering filed regulatory applications with six European health authorities to begin clinical trials (10/12) |
Neurochem Inc. (Canada; TSE;NRM) |
Fibrillex |
Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) mimetic |
Secondary amyloidosis |
Company filed for orphan medicinal product designation in Europe (10/31) |
Oxford Glyco-Sciences plc (UK; LSE:OGS) |
Vevesca (OGT 918) |
Oral capsule formulation of a glucosyltransferase inhibitor |
Gaucher's disease |
Vevesca has been designated as an orphan medicinal product by the European Commission (10/25) |
Theratechnologies Inc. (Canada; TSE TH) |
ThGRF 1-44 |
Peptide; a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue |
Age-related sleep impairment |
Company filed an IND in Canada to begin a Phase II study of two doses of ThGRF 1-44 in healthy subjects (10/17) |
Wex Technologies Inc. (CDNX:WXI) |
Tetrodin |
Non-narcotic analgesic |
Opiate addictions |
Company filed an IND application in Canada to begin a Phase I trial (10/10) |
