Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Deuterated Drugs For Hematologic Diseases

Concert Pharmaceutical is actively pursuing patent applications for deuterated drugs for hematologic diseases.  The company has run a pre-clinical drug trial for the deutered lenalidomide (Concert drug named CTP-221), and is pursuing patents related to Rigosertib, a drug that is used by Onconova (ONTX) in clinical trials. Each drug is primarily directed toward some form of  Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) or AML.
Lenalidomide was approved in 2005 for low to intermediate-1 risk MDS with deletion 5-q chromosomol abnormality.
Rigosertib has been used in several clinical trials as both monotherapy and as co-therapy, intravenously and orally, primarily for intermediate-2 to higher risk MDS, and for patients who have failed prior therapies. For some of these patients who have failed previous therapy (refractory MDS), the prognosis is less than 12 months survival, and the drug side effect profile is quite adverse.  
I really like the direction CNCE is taking in pursuing patents for hematological indications such as intermediate-2 to higher risk MDS, where there remains an un-met need for longer and better tolerated drug therapies.  I am looking one to two years out into the future direction of the company, and believe Concert may be able to get both of these deutered hematological drugs into clinical trials for different MDS patients in 2016, after all patents have been secured.  At this time we do not know if CTP-221 will ever make clinical trials due to competing patent issues.  Thank you for reading.

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