Pomalidomide is a derivative

Derivative (chemistry)

In chemistry, a derivative is a compound that is derived from a similar compound by some chemical or physical process. In the past it was also used to mean a compound that can be imagined to arise from another compound, if one atom is replaced with another atom or group of atoms, but modern...

 of thalidomide

Thalidomide

Thalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s that was typically used to cure morning sickness. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide, and it is introduced as an immunomodulatory agent used...

 and acts as an immunomodulator

Immunomodulator

An immunomodulator, also known as an immunotherapy is a substance which has an effect on the immune system.- Immunosuppressants :Inhibits immune response in organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases.- Immunostimulants :...

. It can be taken orally.

Clinical trials

Phase I trial results showed neutropenia

Neutropenia

Neutropenia, from Latin prefix neutro- and Greek suffix -πενία , is a granulocyte disorder characterized by an abnormally low number of neutrophils, the most important type of white blood cell...

 was a frequent side effect.

Phase II clinical trials for multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...

 and myelofibrosis

Myelofibrosis

Myelofibrosis, also known as myeloid metaplasia, chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, osteomyelofibrosis and primary myelofibrosis is a disorder of the bone marrow...

 have reported 'promising results'.

Mechanism

The immunomodulatory effect is probably due to inhibition of TNF-alpha with an IC₅₀

IC50

The half maximal inhibitory concentration is a measure of the effectiveness of a compound in inhibiting biological or biochemical function. This quantitative measure indicates how much of a particular drug or other substance is needed to inhibit a given biological process by half...

 of 1 μM. In vitro

In vitro

In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...

 it affects erythropoeisis and enhances antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity

Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity is a mechanism of cell-mediated immunity whereby an effector cell of the immune system actively lyses a target cell that has been bound by specific antibodies. It is one of the mechanisms through which antibodies, as part of the humoral immune...

(ADCC).

External links

• Clinical trials of pomalidomide