Ixabepilone
Encyclopedia
Ixabepilone is an epothilone
B analog developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb
as a cancer drug
.
It is produced by Sorangium cellulosum
.
s.
It is highly potent agent, capable of damaging cancer cells in very low concentrations, and retains activity in cases where tumor cells are insensitive to paclitaxel.
approved ixabepilone for the treatment of aggressive metastatic
or locally advanced breast cancer
no longer responding to currently available chemotherapies. In November 2008, the EMEA
has refused a marketing authorisation for Ixabepilone.
Ixabepilone is administered through injection, and is marketed under the trade name Ixempra.
and a taxane
.
It has been investigated for use in treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In pancreatic cancer phase two trial it showed some promising results (used alone). Combination therapy trials are ongoing.
Epothilone
The epothilones are a new class of cancer drugs. Like taxanes, they prevent cancer cells from dividing by interfering with tubulin, but in early trials epithilones have better efficacy and milder adverse effects than taxanes....
B analog developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb , often referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in New York City. The company was formed in 1989, following the merger of its predecessors Bristol-Myers and the Squibb Corporation...
as a cancer drug
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
.
It is produced by Sorangium cellulosum
Sorangium cellulosum
Sorangium cellulosum is a soil-dwelling Gram-negative bacterium of the group myxobacteria. It is motile and shows gliding motility. It has an unusually-large genome of 13,033,779 base pairs, making it the largest bacterial genome sequenced to date....
.
Pharmacology
It acts to stabilize microtubuleMicrotubule
Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton. These rope-like polymers of tubulin can grow as long as 25 micrometers and are highly dynamic. The outer diameter of microtubule is about 25 nm. Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, providing platforms for intracellular...
s.
It is highly potent agent, capable of damaging cancer cells in very low concentrations, and retains activity in cases where tumor cells are insensitive to paclitaxel.
Approval
On October 16, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
approved ixabepilone for the treatment of aggressive metastatic
Metastasis
Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
or locally advanced breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
no longer responding to currently available chemotherapies. In November 2008, the EMEA
European Medicines Agency
The European Medicines Agency is a European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products. From 1995 to 2004, the European Medicines Agency was known as European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products.Roughly parallel to the U.S...
has refused a marketing authorisation for Ixabepilone.
Ixabepilone is administered through injection, and is marketed under the trade name Ixempra.
Clinical uses
Ixabepilone, in combination with capecitabine, has demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer in patients after failure of an anthracyclineAnthracycline
Anthracyclines are a class of drugs used in cancer chemotherapy derived from Streptomyces bacterium Streptomyces peucetius var...
and a taxane
Taxane
The taxanes are diterpenes produced by the plants of the genus Taxus . As their name suggests, they were first derived from natural sources, but some have been synthesized artificially. Taxanes include paclitaxel and docetaxel . Paclitaxel was originally derived from the Pacific yew tree.Taxanes...
.
It has been investigated for use in treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In pancreatic cancer phase two trial it showed some promising results (used alone). Combination therapy trials are ongoing.