DelMar Pharmaceuticals announced that its flagship cancer treatment drug, called VAL-083, was given “Fast Track” status by the Food and Drug Administration.
VAL-083 is a possible treatment for a type of cancer called glioblastoma. This cancer begins in the brain, but can affect the spinal cord also. It is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Symptoms can vary widely but may include, headaches, change in personality, stroke-like symptoms, and nausea. As the cancer progresses, memory loss is common and patients may lose consciousness.
Symptoms worsen rapidly in glioblastoma, and the cancer often recurs even after heavy treatment. Most people do not survive for very long after diagnosis. The cancer is difficult to treat because it is resistant to many of the typical cancer treatments; meanwhile, the brain can be damaged by them, and the brain cannot repair itself very much. To learn more about glioblastoma, click here.
The fact that treatment options are limited in both variety and in effectiveness is part of the reason why VAL-083 was able to receive the new designation. The “Fast Track” designation is usually only reserved for those drugs that appear to show promise in treating life-threatening conditions, particularly if there are few other treatments available for the specific disease. Future review and testing for VAL-083 will happen more quickly than it otherwise would have.
