According to a story from BioSpace, the biotechnology company Tiziana Life Sciences plc has announced that it was recently granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) pertaining to the use of the drug milciclib in combination with a class of medications called tyrosine kinase inhibitors as a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, as well as some other forms of cancer (including pancreatic cancer and thymic carcinoma). Tiziana prioritizes the development of treatments for infectious and inflammatory diseases, as well as cancer.
About Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a type of liver cancer. Although generally considered rare, at least in developed countries, it is the most common type of cancer to originate in the liver in adults and is also the most common cause of death for people who develop cirrhosis. Risk factors are generally any condition that can lead to long term liver damage and cirrhosis, such as certain genetic disorders, chronic hepatitis, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and severe alcohol abuse. The cancer is associated with common symptoms of liver dysfunction and damage, such as jaundice, fatigue, abdominal swelling, nausea and vomiting, bruising easily, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Treatment may include kinase inhibitors, surgery, liver transplant, arterial catheters, and ablation. Survival rates are poor; cancer that cannot be removed with surgery is usually lethal within a year. To learn more about hepatocellular carcinoma, click here.
Showing Potential
Tiziana had two poster presentations at the American Society for Clinical Oncology 2020 which pertained to the use of milciclib in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The posters presented findings from a phase 2a trial of the drug when used on its own and another when used in combination with regorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The medication has produced promising results so far that could improve outcomes for patients.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a difficult to treat cancer that has little effective options outside of surgery or liver transplant, and even these options are not viable for patients with advanced disease. There is a dire need for more effective therapies, and combination treatments may be critical for driving advancements in outcomes for patients living with this cancer.
