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Advancell Demonstrates Efficacy of their drug Acadra for the treatment of leukemia

By 16 de February de 2011November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 16.02.2011

Advancell Demonstrates Efficacy of their drug Acadra for the treatment of leukemia

The biopharmaceutical company Advancell, headquartered at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), has announced positive results for a Phase I/II clinical trial of their drug Acadra (Acadesine) in several patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who are resistant to current treatments. In the trial, conducted at several Belgian, French and Spanish hospitals, including the Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO), the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia (HCUV) and the Hospital Universitario Madrid Sanchinarro, patients treated with Acadra exhibited decreases of up to 50% in the number of leukemic cells after treatment administration. Patients that were suffering from compromised lymph nodes at the initiation of the study showed reductions of up to 75% after five doses. In a Phase I/II clinical trial conducted in European hospitals, the drug reduced tumours by up to 75% in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia that are resistant to current treatments.

An independent panel of experts has concluded that the study sufficiently demonstrates the efficacy of the new drug to continue its development and that the safety profile observed in Acadra shows its enormous potential for treating leukemia in combination with other existing drugs.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a blood cancer caused by an excess of B cells (a type of white blood cell). It is the most common chronic leukemia in Western developed countries, affecting over 300,000 people worldwide and over 15,000 people in Spain, where 1,800 new cases are diagnosed each year. The drugs used to treat this disorder have important side effects and a limited efficacy because the patients become treatment resistant.

Unlike currently existing chemotherapies for this disorder, Acadra has proven effective in removing B cells without destroying T cells. This selectivity gives the drug a potential ability to reduce the risk of infection and other side effects caused by currently employed chemotherapies. Acadra has a new mechanism of action that makes it effective in patients that are resistant to other existing treatments.

With these results, Advancell has remarkably increased the value of the project from its acquisition, with an investment of 5 M€. In 2011 the company intents to license out Acadra to a pharmaceutical company to complete its development and launch it to the market. Potential sales value has been estimated at 500 million Euros annually.

Acadra is the first drug originating from a Spanish public university to reach clinical trials. It was developed from the doctoral thesis work of Clara Campàs, at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Barcelona. Campàs discovered the molecule Acadesine for the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas. In 2003 the University of Barcelona patented the drug through its Patent Center. Clara Campàs, in addition to being the discoverer, was also co-author of the patent for the drug.