Clinical development of new formulations of cytotoxics in so... : Current Opinion in Oncology
Current Opinion in Oncology:
May 2012 - Volume 24 - Issue 3 - p 325–331
doi: 10.1097/CCO.0b013e328351fb29
INNOVATIVE EARLY CLINICAL TRIALS METHODOLOGY AND NEW THERAPEUTICS IN CANCER: Edited by Ahmad Awada
Clinical development of new formulations of cytotoxics in solid tumors
Purpose of review:
To discuss the clinical development
of new formulations of old cytotoxic agents and highlight the value of
adopting this strategy.
Recent findings:
Several drugs are currently in
clinical development with high potential in improving clinical outcomes
compared with their older counterparts. We emphasize on the results of
four of these agents, each belonging to a known group of cytotoxics
namely amrubicin, EndoTAG-1, pralatrexate and NKTR-102. Each has shown
promising results that have the potential in addressing some limitations
that have been observed with the ‘earlier generation’ agents.
Summary:
Improvement in drug development strategies
and the appreciation of the mechanisms of action and resistance of the
cytotoxic agents currently available in the clinic open the door for
developing agents that have the potential of improving clinical outcomes
with better safety profiles. It is important to adopt innovative
clinical trials designs integrating molecular markers in early clinical
development in order to identify the subgroups of patients who would
derive the maximal benefit of these novel agents.
