Publication: Trade Arabia
Publication date: 28/1/2008
Country: On Line

New immune boosting drug to treat cancer

DUBAI

A unique immune boosting drug likely to give hope to GCC cancel patients, a cancer immunotherapy company said in a statement.

Scientists at US-based CEL-SCI Corporation are developing a revolutionary new treatment for cancer patients which fights cancer by stimulating the body's own immune defenses.
CEL-SCI is in the GCC to establish an innovative drug access programme (the Named Patient Program) with the GCC's leading health care providers. The programme will allow GCC patients the opportunity to benefit from this new cancer drug several years sooner than they normally would.

Multikine is the first of a new class of cancer immunotherapy drugs called Immune Simulators. It simulates the activities of a healthy person's immune system which battles cancer every day.

Multikine is the only cancer immunotherapy that both kills cancer cells in a targeted fashion and motivates the general immune system to destroy the cancer.

The drug is a different kind of weapon in the fight against cancer; one that unleashes and empowers the body's anti-tumor immune response without toxic side effects, instead of poisoning and burning the body through traditional cancer therapy like chemotherapy or radiation.

"Multikine has shown great promise. It's been shown to increase survival by 33% in Phase II studies. In the cancer field this is considered tremendous when only a 10% improvement is perceived as breakthrough. And what makes Multikine unique is that it's been shown to be safe and non toxic," said CEL-SCI corporation Chief Executive Officer Geert Kersten.
By launching CEL-SCI activities in UAE, the GCC cancer patients would be among the first patients to benefit from this innovative drug while it finishes clinical trials, the company said.

Multikine has been cleared in the US and Canada for study in a global Phase III clinical trial in advanced primary (not yet treated) head and neck cant patients.
Other indications that will likely be pursued for Multikine are breast cancer, skin cancer, cervical cancer, melanoma and enhancement of chemotherapy and radiation. The last indication is particularly important because it may lead to an ability to reduce the amounts of radiation and chemotherapy given to patients.

"CEL-SCI vision is to change the way cancer is treated from toxic therapies that work against the body to non-toxic therapies that work with the body" said Kersten. - TradeArabia News Service