Mesothelioma: A Killer Lurks in the Lungs

Mesothelioma & Asbestos News Page

Home Page

New Mesothelioma Drug SBP002

The new SBP002 drug to treat mesothelioma has been a success so far in a test group of 13 from Perth, Australia. The SBP002 mesothelioma treatment drug is derived from the noxious weed Devil's Apple.

According to National Nine News:

A phase two trial of SBP002, in which the drug will be tested on about 40 people, is expected to begin next year in either Australia or the United States. [...]

US scientists affiliated with Solbec were also testing SBP002 on a variety of human cancer cells in the laboratory, to determine which cancers responded best to the drug.

The asbestos disease mesothelioma and skin cancer melanoma were thought to be the main targets, but the drug may also have an effect on colon, renal and lung cancers.

Here is more:

Promising result for mesothelioma drug
05:58 AEST Sat Sep 11 2004

The first people to test a new mesothelioma treatment drug were so impressed with the results they asked to keep taking the medication after the trial had ended.

Thirteen people with advanced solid tumours were given the drug, derived from a noxious weed known as Devil's Apple, for just one week during the trial in Perth.

Tumours started to shrink in a number of trial participants, all of whom had been told their cancer was terminal.

"The trial didn't actually set out to find out how well the product worked, it was just trying to find the right dose to use," said Greg Barrington, a spokesman for Solbec, the Perth-based company that makes the drug.

"Right near the beginning of the trial, where the doses were low, we got some positive results.

"It was the last thing we expected but the first thing we wanted, obviously."

Many of the patients elected to continue taking the drug, known as SBP002, beyond the end of the trial, Mr Barrington said.

"To get involved in a trial like that you have cancer that's not responded to anything else, and the doctors have said `perhaps you should enjoy your last few months'," he said.

"So if they get a response as these people have, then clearly they say `can we have more of that', so they've carried on."

A phase two trial of SBP002, in which the drug will be tested on about 40 people, is expected to begin next year in either Australia or the United States.

"Obviously it's early days to know what's going to happen to people taking it longer-term," Mr Barrington said.

"But we've had very encouraging results so the scientists are pretty excited."

US scientists affiliated with Solbec were also testing SBP002 on a variety of human cancer cells in the laboratory, to determine which cancers responded best to the drug.

The asbestos disease mesothelioma and skin cancer melanoma were thought to be the main targets, but the drug may also have an effect on colon, renal and lung cancers.

Back to News Page

Continue with:

Pfizer to Pay $430 Million to Settle Asbestos Claims Pfizer, subsidiary Quigley Co., and others were defendents in a trial that alleged that they caused personal injury by exposure to asbestos. The asbestos sometimes caused mesothelioma.

St. Paul Asbestos Settlement Approved The settlement ../includes $445 million for claimants and $57.5 million in fees. According to Reuters: Insurer St. Paul Travelers Companies on Wednesday said a bankruptcy court approved a $502.5 million asbestos settlement for all pending asbestos court actions against its Travelers Property Casualty unit.

Asbestos Patients Analyzed by B-Certified Radiologists The extent to which asbestos has damaged a set of lungs or even caused a case of mesothelioma in certain patients is analyzed by expert radiologists.

Studies Find No Evidence That SV40 is Related to Human Cancer Two upcoming studies by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the National Institutes of Health, provide further evidence that exposure to simian virus 40 (SV40) is not associated with cancer in humans.

Celebrex Hits Mesothelioma, in Lab Studies May 6, 2004 The COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex, usually prescribed for arthritis, has a marked effect on the asbestos-related cancer malignant mesothelioma in lab and animal experiments, according to a report from Italy

FDA Approves Alimta-Cisplatin Combination for Treatment of Asbestos-Related Cancer Mesothelioma The first and only drug regimen proven to help patients with an asbestos-related cancer live longer was approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Group Launches Asbestos-Cancer Study April 5, 2004 DETROIT - Karmanos Cancer Center is launching a comprehensive medical program to study the effects of asbestos-related cancers linked with contaminated vermiculite, a mineral used in insulation.

Study Supports Development Potential in Several Therapeutic Areas New Study Reviews Novel Approach to Control Inflammation Using Melanocortin Receptors WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Zengen, Inc. announced today that its researchers have discovered that activation of melanocortin receptors (MCR) subtypes MC1R and MC3R could be a novel strategy to control inflammatory disorders.

FDA Approves First Drug for Rare Type of Cancer The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Alimta (pemetrexed disodium) for use in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma - a rare type of cancer. Alimta received a priority review and is designated as an orphan drug. It is the first drug approved for this condition.