A new drug called Venetoclax is now available which melts away cancer. The United States has given fast-track approval for this drug that has been specifically targeting chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The drug was developed in Australia.
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Cancer Drug testing
The drug showed a positive result in 80% of clinical trials. One in five patients finishes the program completely cancer free. Venetoclax is administered orally every day via a pill. In the original trial, 116 participants increased their dosage from 2o mg to 40o mg over a five-week period.
Professor Andrew Roberts, a Clinical Hematologist and Head of Clinical Translation at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research said that it truly does lead to the disease melting away in 20% of people.
Professor John Seymour who helped coordinate the trial test mentioned that cancer cells are destined to die when they are born. The cancer cells and particularly leukemia cells delay the death of cells by using a protein called BCL2.
How the drug works
Venetoclax works by specifically blocking the action of that BCL2 and allows the cells to die in the way that they were destined.
Robert Oblak took part in the 2013 trial and described his course of Venetoclax as like taking Panadol. It causes no side effects absolutely no side effects. Despite the majority of trial patients experiencing some benefits from Venetoclax, others did have a negative result.
The drug marks an advance in immunotherapy a new area of research that assesses how the body’s own immune system can defeat cancer. This drug is used most effectively in treating melanoma.
Legally approved Drug
While Venetoclax has received approval from the European Union and the United States. This drug is not made available yet in Australia at the time of writing this article.
Source: The Independent
