艾滋病疗法或惠及癌症领域

艾滋病疗法或惠及癌症领域
2011/9/6/9:11来源：医药经济报作者：王迪

【慧聪制药工业网】经过医学界多年的努力，艾滋病已不再是一种致命性疾病，而是可以被长期控制的。目前，吉利德（Gilead）科学公司正在肩负起这样的使命：要让癌症像艾滋病那样得到有效管理。

重回癌症领域

吉利德一直在艾滋病药物市场占有重要位置。10年前，它将旗下的肿瘤学部门出售，现在，它正在重新进入抗癌药物市场。自去年12月以来，吉利德已经为2家研发公司投入了6亿美元资金。其与耶鲁大学签署了一项科研协议，缘于耶鲁科学家提出建议：鸡尾酒式药物抗击癌症的效果也许和它们对抗艾滋病病毒的效果一样好。

吉利德打算充分利用癌症研究领域里取得的进步，这些研究成果也指明了抗击肿瘤的方法：将合适的药物组合在一起，以延长病人的生命。

纽约Lazard资本市场公司分析师JoelSendek表示，抗癌药物是全球最畅销的药物类别，对位于加州福斯特城的吉利德公司来说，重返肿瘤学领域是一个明智之举，因为此举可以帮助扩大它的产品组合，提升收入。

Sendek说，吉利德的HIV业务产生了大量的现金流，它对开发下一代HIV药物制定了明确的计划，在这个领域，它已经达到了一个成熟的阶段。

根据市场调研机构IMSHealth公司提供的数据，2010年，抗癌药物市场的销售额接近560亿美元，这一市场将以每年12%~15%的速度增长，到2012年，市场规模将高达800亿美元。

传统的癌症治疗方法使用放疗和化疗，旨在抑制疾病扩散，但是，这种做法会损害健康的细胞。目前，人类已经能够对基因组进行快速排序，这种能力使得科研人员可以发现某些癌症的基因突变，采用新药对这些癌症进行治疗时也许不会损害人体的其他部位。吉利德断言，它能够利用这些技术，寻找到新的治疗药物。

吉利德首席科学官NorbertBischofberger在接受采访时表示，10年以后，如果你患上癌症或处于癌症前期，你将会接受基因测序，根据所识别的遗传性变化，你将被给予相应的药物进行治疗。

药企争相尝试

吉利德最先进的实验性抗癌药物是GS-1101，该药可以阻断所谓的PI3激酶路径。PI3K（磷脂酰肌醇－3－激酶）是一种与肿瘤一起生长、和病人生存期有关的酶。

今年2月，吉利德宣布以3.75亿美元收购Calistoga制药公司，从而得到了GS-1101，该药目前正处于第二临床试验阶段。参加试验的对象是不同类型的血癌患者。

尽管如此，纽约Needham&Co.公司分析师AlanCarr表示，向不同的治疗领域扩张也许不是一件容易的事情，因为这会遇到一些挑战，比如，针对所有不同的适应症，制药公司是否具有相应的专业知识，“就吉利德进入抗癌领域来说，我们需要观望，看看它们是如何开展工作的。目前作出预测还为时过早，它们在这一领域并没有业绩记录”。

吉利德并不是唯一一家看到抗癌新药具有很大潜力的制药公司，辉瑞、安进和罗氏等制药公司正在对至少18只实验性药物开展试验，这些药物针对的目标都是PI3激酶路径。

它们还在利用从DNA测序中开发出的药物作为组合治疗药物的一部分。今年早些时候，日本第三大制药企业第一三共株式会社以大约9.35亿美元收购了位于加州伯克利的Plexxikon公司，Plexxikon开发的一只药物针对的是BRAF基因，这是一种致癌性基因突变，仅在肿瘤细胞上得到表达。
葛兰素史克则正在对2只实验性药物结合在一起的组合药进行研究，该组合药被用来治疗黑素瘤。其中一只药物旨在阻断促进黑素瘤扩散的蛋白质，另外一只药物所阻断的蛋白质可帮助癌症躲避药物的攻击。

对吉利德来说，它的另外一个重点是单克隆抗体，这种药物可以刺激病人的免疫系统攻击致病细胞。通过以2.25亿美元收购Arresto生物科学公司，吉利德获得了对方的一只针对LOXL2蛋白质的药物，据悉，这种蛋白质有助于肿瘤的早期扩散。这只名为GS-6624的实验性药物正处于第一阶段临床试验。今年8月初，吉利德从罗氏控股旗下的基因泰克手中收购了一家有70000平方英尺的实验室，用于生产GS-6624。

10年后的愿景

今年3月，吉利德总裁兼首席营运官JohnMilligan对分析人士说：“过去1年多来，我们一直在做的工作是，审视生物学和化学已经成熟到一定阶段的治疗领域，在这些领域，我们对人类疾病已经有了很好的理解”。

Bischofberger表示，其他新颖的治疗方法也许将来自于和耶鲁大学的合作，以及更多的收购行动，“我们已经考察过一些可能上市销售或可供许可交易的产品。我们得到了大量的建议和要求，我们正在花费时间对它们进行筛选”。

未来的开发努力也许将产生鸡尾酒式药物，从而让癌症患者存活更长的时间，这种情况类似于将HIV从15年前的死刑代名词转化成为一种慢性疾病。Bischofberger表示，今天，通过使用吉利德的二合一药物Truvada等，HIV得到了有效管理。

Bischofberger说：“我绝对相信，同样的事情也将适用于癌症治疗领域，这是我们认为正在取得进展的一个领域。”

即使在实施收购之后，吉利德还将增加它在研发和收购上的资金，以便向肿瘤学领域进一步扩张。根据相关数据，吉利德将大约13%的收入用于研发项目上，而行业的这一平均数据大约为24%。

    Bischofberger说：“我们的意图、希望和雄心是，10年以后（希望在更短的时间里），我们将成为肿瘤学领域里的一支重要力量。”

The field of cancer therapy or to benefit AIDS
    2011/9/6/9: 11 Source: Medicine Economic News, Author: Di

    HC pharmaceutical industry network through the efforts of the medical profession for many years, AIDS is no longer a fatal disease, but can be long-term control. Currently, Gilead (Gilead) is to take up this science company's mission: to make cancer as effectively managed as AIDS.

    Return to the field of cancer

    Gilead AIDS drug market has been an important place. 10 years ago, it sold its oncology department, and now it is re-entering the anti-cancer drug market. Since December last year, Gilead has two R & D companies invested U.S. $ 600 million. With Yale University signed a research agreement, due to Yale scientists have suggested: a cocktail of drugs to fight cancer and their effect against HIV may be as good.

    Gilead intends to take full advantage of the field of cancer research in progress, these findings also indicate a way to fight cancer: the right combination of drugs together, in order to prolong life.

    New York, Lazard Capital Markets analyst JoelSendek said anti-cancer drugs is the world's best-selling drug class, located in Foster City, California, Gilead, the return to the field of oncology is a wise move, because it can to help expand its product portfolio, enhance income.

    Sendek said Gilead's HIV business generated a lot of cash flow, its next generation of HIV drugs to develop a clear plan in this area, it has reached a mature stage.

    According to market research firm IMSHealth data provided in 2010, anti-cancer drug market sales of nearly $ 56 billion, this market will grow 12% to 15% annual growth rate in 2012, the market scale will reach 80 billion dollars.

    Conventional cancer treatments using radiation and chemotherapy, aimed at curbing the spread of the disease, but this would damage healthy cells. Currently, the human genome has been able to quickly sort, this capability allows researchers to find certain types of cancer gene mutations, the use of new drugs for treatment of these cancers may not damage other parts of the body. Gilead asserted that it can take advantage of these technologies to find new treatments.

    Gilead's chief scientific officer, said in an interview NorbertBischofberger, 10 years later, if you are suffering from cancer or pre-cancerous, you will undergo genetic sequencing, according to the identification of genetic changes, you will be given the appropriate drugs for treatment .

    Pharmaceutical companies eager to try

    Gilead's most advanced experimental anti-cancer drugs are GS-1101, the drug can block the path of the so-called PI3-kinase. PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3 - kinase) is a tumor along with the growth, survival, and patient-related enzymes.

    In February, Gilead announced the $ 375 million acquisition of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, which has been GS-1101, the drug currently in phase II clinical trials. Participate in the trial of the object are different types of blood cancer patients.

    Nevertheless, New York Needham & Co. AlanCarr analyst, said the expansion of different therapeutic areas may not be an easy task, because it will encounter some challenges, such as, for all the different indications, pharmaceutical companies have the appropriate professional knowledge, "to Gilead to enter the field of cancer, we need to wait and see how they work now too early to predict their performance in this area and there is no record."

    Gilead is not the only one that has great potential anti-cancer drug pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, Amgen and Roche and other pharmaceutical companies are at least 18 pilot experimental drugs, these drugs are targeted PI3 kinase is the paths.

    They are also used in the development of DNA sequencing from the drug as part of combination therapy. Earlier this year, Japan's third largest pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo for about $ 935 million acquisition of California-Berkeley Plexxikon company, Plexxikon development of a medication for the BRAF gene, which is a carcinogenic gene mutation, only be expressed in tumor cells.
    GlaxoSmithKline is being on two experimental drugs together to study the combination of drugs, the combination of drugs used to treat melanoma. One of them for drugs designed to block the spread of melanoma protein, the other a protein blocking drugs may help cancers evade drug attack.

    Of Gilead, its focus is another monoclonal antibody, the drug can stimulate the patient's immune system to attack disease-causing cells. $ 225 million through the acquisition of Arresto Biosciences, Inc., Gilead acquired the other one for LOXL2 protein drugs, it is learned early this protein helps cancer spread. Known as GS-6624 only the experimental drug is in Phase I clinical trial. In early August, Gilead from the hands of Roche Holding's acquisition of Genentech has 70,000 square feet of a laboratory for the production of GS-6624.

    10 years after the vision

    In March this year, Gilead President and Chief Operating Officer JohnMilligan of analysts, said: "Over the past year, we have been doing work, look at biology and chemistry has matured to a certain stage of therapeutic areas, in these areas, We humans have a good understanding of the disease. "

    Bischofberger said the other novel therapies may be from Yale University and co-operation, and more acquisitions, "we have examined some possible trade sale or licensing of products available and we get a lot of suggestions and requests We are to spend time screening them. "

    Future development efforts will probably produce a cocktail drugs, so that cancer patients survive longer, the situation is similar to HIV synonymous with the death penalty from 15 years ago transformed into a chronic disease. Bischofberger said that today, through the use of Gilead's Truvada and other combo drugs, HIV has been effectively managed.

    Bischofberger said: "I absolutely believe that the same thing will also apply to the field of cancer treatment, we believe that this is an area where progress is being made."

    Even after the implementation of the acquisition, Gilead will also increase its R & D and acquisition of funds for further expansion to the field of oncology. According to the data, Gilead will be about 13% of revenue for R & D projects, while the industry average of this data is about 24%.

    Bischofberger said: "Our intention, hope and ambition is that after 10 years (hopefully in a shorter period of time), we will become the field of oncology as an important force."