Cancer cure sans hair loss

New Delhi, Oct. 2006

For the relief of cancer patients, Indian scientists have developed a new oral drug which promises to reduce side effects like hair loss and lack of appetite associated with radiotherapy and make the treatment more effective by facilitating selective killing of cancer cells.

The drug, “2-deoxy D-Glucose (2 DG)”, has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the technology has been transferred to Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Lab.

A patent has also been obtained, Dr W Selvamurthy, chief controller (R and D) in the DRDO, told The Statesman.

The organisation has earned Rs 25 lakh from the technology transfer and would get four per cent as royalty for ten years in the future. The drug has been converted into a capsule form.

Dr Selvamurthy said phase I and II human clinical trials, which are done to assess safety and efficacy, have been completed with the new drug and results are encouraging. The scientists have already initiated phase III clinical trials.

“Phase II clinical studies were carried out in 100 patients while phase III were being carried out in about 500 brain tumour patients. The study has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research,” Dr Selvamurthy said.

He said phase III studies were being undertaken in Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and Dharamshala Cancer Hospital, Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital and Nanawati Hospital, Hyderabad’s Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences and Indo-American Hospital, Bangalore’s Manipal Institute and Curie’s Centre for Oncology and Christian Medical College in Vellore.

AIIMS was also expected to join the study, he said, and added that the entire phase-III study was expected to be completed in six months.

“We have got feedback from cancer patients that when radiotherapy was combined with this drug, their quality of life improved. The side effects such as hair loss, irritability, and lack of sleep and appetite were reduced,” he said.

The new drug also decreases duration of radiation treatment needed to kill the cancer cells, he said.

Dr Malay Nandi, an oncologist from Fortis Hosiptal said that the molecule appeared promising. “However, recurrence of the disease three-five years down the line needs to be assessed as it involves reducing the radiation dose,” Dr Nandi said and added that overall survival was expected to increase with the new drug.

The new drug is a glucose-like molecule. All the body cells need glucose for energy. The glucose is taken up by cells and broken down to produce energy.

When taken orally, the new drug competes with the normal glucose (as it is similar to glucose) for entry into body’s cells. However, 2DG cannot be broken down to produce energy.

As the cancer cells are actively dividing cells, they need more energy and thus end up taking more 2DG. However, these cells end up being devoid of energy and get weakened in the process, Dr Selvamurthy said.

Thus, these weakened cancer cells are killed with a lesser dose of radiation, which leads to decrease in side effects associated with radiation treatment.

This also amounts to selective killing of cancer cells, thus making prognosis (treatment) better, he said.

“There is no such drug available so far which can reduce the requirement of radiation dose to treat tumours,” Dr Selvamurthy claimed.