02 september, 2014 .After its success with Yondelis, which is now sold in 80 countries, the Zeltia subsidiary, PharmaMar, is now testing a new drug for cancer patients. Its biotechnology department has set up a phase-1 clinical trial with its drug Aplidin for treating recurrent, refractory multiple myeloma. PharmaMar is in the lead for the development of drugs of marine origin for oncology.
PharmaMar studies the sea bed to find a cancer treatment.
The trial, which amounts to the first step in obtaining approval for a drug, is to be carried out in 6 centres in Spain and France with the participation of 30 patients. Once the objective of determining the recommended dose is achieved, more patients will be included to assess the effectiveness of Aplidin in the initial stages of treatment.
Once again, PharmaMar has turned to the sea in its search for cancer treatments. Aplidin has been obtained from the tunicate Aplidium albicans from the Balearics. The trial forms part of the plan to develop Aplidin as an early treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma. The compound is also being assessed in a phase-3 trial for patients with multiple myeloma who have already followed at least three previous treatments.
This is not the first time that PharmaMar has been successful with a marine invertebrate. Its Yondelis drug comes from an ascidia found for the first time in the Caribbean. This anti-cancer drug is now on sale in 80 countries.