QDIS Blog

The rational behind antisense drugs makes sense (pun intended). A nucleotide sequence is developed that interacts with strands of DNA and modifies gene expression.

Antisense drugs stop making sense?:

However, it is interesting to see if antisense has lived up to all its hype. While there has been one approval; Vitravene (fomivirsen) from Isis Pharmaceuticals for treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, there hasn’t been much else. Recently Genta has received a non-approvable letter from the FDA for its antisense compound Genasense used in combination with chemotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). This drug was also refused approval back in 2004 for treatment of melanoma which led to Sanofi-Aventis pulling out of a potential collaboration deal.

Also, Methylgene stopped development of its antisense compound MG98. The article goes on to mention some other antisense drugs under development. One of these is AVI Biopharma, the only biotech/pharma company here in Oregon.

While I do believe there is potential here, I think again it was a case of being over-hyped in the media mainly for the purpose of raising capital. There must be something to this since Merck just spent a huge sum to acquire Sirna who is developing an antisense drug for treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

My bottom line; so far antisense has not lived up to its hype. However, I think the problem lies more with the over-hyping and the media than with any inherent problem with antisense itself. I think scientists need to lead the way in being cautious when talking to journalists and more realistic in how long it takes to develop useful products from new technologies. I also feel that stem cell research falls into this category. While I think there is a great opportunity and fully support stem cell research, I think it has been way over-hyped and that it will take quite some time before any useful products result from this research. We in the science community have not done a good job of explaining what all goes into developing new products and in many cases have been overly optimistic of how long a project may take.

Technorati Tags: antisense, Genasense, Genta, Methylgene, MG98, fomivirsen, Vitravene

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Well, the New Year finds even more deals being made. In this case it is between Exelixis and Genetech. Genentech will license the rights to XL518, a small molecule to be to treat cancer from Exelixis for an upfront payment of $40 million. Exelixis has already filed an IND for this molecule. Exelixis is responsible for development through phase I. At that point, Genetech has the option to take over development and then Exelixis will received further payment which were not disclosed.

PharmaLive: Exelixis Signs Co-Development Agreement With Genentech for Small Molecule Oncology Compound :

Here is the main point from the article on how exactly the molecule is suppose to work.

MEK, also known as mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, is a key component of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, which is frequently activated in human tumors. Inappropriate activation of the MEK/ERK pathway can promote cell growth in the absence of exogenous growth factors.

This appears to be a good deal for both parties. Exelixis gets upfront money and has certain responsibilities with a potential upside. Genetech gets the rights to a promising drug without a major commitment and can see how the phase I goes and make a decision later on.

Another good blog post on this is Exelixis is like butter…..

Other Resources

Exelixis Announces January 3 Webcast Discussion of Its Co-Development Agreement With Genentech for Small Molecule Oncology Compound
XL518 - Yahoo! Search Results
XL518 - Google Search
Google Blog Search: XL518

Technorati Tags: Exelixis, Genentech, pharmaceutical deals, XL518

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