US Vietnam partner to co-develop cancer drugs

The California- based Probactive Biotech Corporation said it has entered into an agreement with the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute in Vietnam to co-develop a number of cancer drugs, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Under the terms of the agreement, both partners will utilise combinations of anti-tumour antibodies and anti-tumour radioactive compounds to produce the drugs. Anti-tumour anti-bodies have the ability to take anti-tumour compounds directly to tumors in the body.

A Probative Biotech representative said: “There is a thriving pharmaceutical industry in Vietnam, and the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute has been producing radionuclide for medical use for over 30 years. My company in the US has been engaged in developing anti-tumour anti-bodies, so this is a natural progression for us to co-develop these new drugs.”

Probactive Biotech has combined medical-grade Iodine-131 (I 131) and Yttrium-90 (Y90) with anti-tumor anti-bodies, producing remarkable effects. Targeted drug delivery means that healthy cells have little or no exposure to the drug.

Some parts of the research and development programme will be completed at the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute in Vietnam. The later human clinical trials will be conducted in Vietnam under the regulatory guidelines of the Ministry of Health, and also in compliance with the US Food and Drug Administration’s regulations.

Radio-pharmaceuticals are used in nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Nuclear medicine is divided into two major areas: diagnostics and therapeutics. The diagnostic side is well tried and tested but therapeutic side of nuclear medicine is still in its infancy.

Tags: cancer drugs

Posted by VBN on Jun 25 2010. Filed under Health & Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry