Friday, 2nd June 2006 (5304 views)

Pharmaceutical firm CytImmune's Aurimune cancer treatment is close to receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.

The treatment works by attaching drugs to a molecule of colloidal gold, which then carries the drugs through the bloodstream to target cancer tumours. Colloidal gold has been used for decades as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, demonstrating that it can be an effective treatment.

CytImmune, which is based in the US state of Maryland, says the approach "creates safe therapies for a broad spectrum of cancers, significantly reducing toxicity (and side effects), increasing efficacy and improving quality of life".

The gold nanoparticles used carry anti-cancer drugs to tumours, where they accumulate because of the leakiness of blood vessels within the tumour.

However, Aurimune has so far only been trialled on animals and the FDA has reservations because it is currently adjusting its approval process for nanotech treatments such as this, gazette.net reports.

When drugs are attached to particles they behave differently and the FDA feels it does not have the required knowledge to regulate Aurimune yet.

But CytImmune is working with the agency to help assess the risk the drug poses to patients. The company's chief executive, Lawrence Tamarkin, believes that clinical trials of the treatment will begin "any time now".

 

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