BioNovus Innovations and the University of Kansas' Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation Partner to Develop Bladder Cancer Drug
Ciclopirox Prodrug on track to become the first KU-invented cancer drug advanced to cancer patients
Kansas City, Missouri, May 10, 2016 (Newswire.com) - The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) granted exclusive rights to CicloMed LLC for Ciclopirox Prodrug, a novel agent targeted for the treatment of bladder cancer. CicloMed plans to submit an investigational new drug application (IND) to the Food and Drug Administration early next year. Pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, CicloMed intends to initiate a Phase I clinical trial at several clinical sites, including the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
“We are excited about the potential of Ciclopirox Prodrug to enhance the effectiveness of therapy for bladder cancer patients, and we are looking forward to moving this drug aggressively through development. Our goal is to enroll the first patient in a clinical trial in early 2017,” said Tammy Ham, president and chief executive officer of CicloMed.
President-elect of the American Urology Association and former chair of the Department of Urology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Brantley Thrasher, M.D., said “Novel treatments that prevent recurrence and progression of bladder cancer are desperately needed as none have been approved in the past 20 years.”
Ciclopirox Prodrug was discovered by KU Medical Center’s Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation (IAMI). Ciclopirox Prodrug effectively treats bladder cancer in animal models via novel mechanisms of action and selectively delivers drug to the entire urinary tract.
“The project exemplifies our vision of becoming a leading National Cancer Institute Cancer Center in discovering and advancing promising new cancer treatments to our patients,” said IAMI Director Scott Weir, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
CPX-POM is the first product development and commercialization collaboration between BioNovus Innovations and IAMI under the partnership agreement recently established between the two organizations.
“Our work with IAMI differentiates our National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center by allowing us to deliver treatments from bench to bedside,” said Roy Jensen, M.D., director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center. “This drug has real potential to become the first KU-invented cancer drug that will span the entire process, from discovery to development, and ultimately to patients.
Source: Dave Claflin