New Leukemia Drug

Chinese researchers are submitting a new leukemia drug for clinical trials, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The new drug HYML-122 was approved by the China National Drug Administration for trials in June. Researchers based in east China’s Anhui Province spent four years developing the new drug, said the CAS.

The drug is targeted for patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), an often fatal cancer caused by damage to the DNA of bloodforming stem cells in the bone marrow, resulting in abnormal blood cells. Without treatment, AML patients have only weeks or months to live.

The FLT3 gene is one of the most frequently mutated genes in AML. Studies have shown that 30 percent of AML is related to FLT3. The United States approved the world’s first targeting drug in May 2017, but it may cause several side effects such as albinism. Thus, there is an urgent need for a safer and more effective drug, said Liu Qingsong, the lead researcher.

Animal experiments showed HYML-122, a small-molecule inhibitor of FLT3, improved safety and tumor penetration. Should clinical tests prove successful, it could provide a solution for patients, especially those with tumors in the late stages of the disease.

The new drug has been patent protected and may be marketed after five years of clinical tests.