Uppsala, Sweden, 2013-05-06 14:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
The active substance of Paclical, paclitaxel, is used in the treatment of breast cancer, often in combination with e.g. hormonal treatment. Cytostatic treatment every third week has been clinical practice for an extended period of time. Adverse effects such as nausea and vomiting occur, but it is a significant decrease in the number of white blood cells that might lead to dose reduction and hence reduced effect of the treatment. The hypothesis is that weekly treatment with a lower dose would affect the white blood cells less than the tumour cells, thus provide a treatment with less adverse effect but with a maintained efficacy compared to 3-week treatment. Preliminary results showed that the treatment is well tolerated, and it was decided to initiate the program.
- This is the first step to extend the indications for Paclical beyond epithelial ovarian cancer. Novel pharmaceuticals on the breast cancer market are already accepted, which will be an advantage for Paclical, says Julian Aleksov, CEO of Oasmia.
Breast cancer is one of the largest indications globally with 1.38 million new cases and 458 000 deaths annually. The market amounted to $8.6 billion in 2011.
About Paclical®
Paclical is a novel nanoparticle formulation composed of Oasmia Pharmaceutical's patented excipient XR-17 and the anti-cancer substance paclitaxel one of the most frequently used chemotherapeutic substances in the world.. XR-17 can be used to improve the solubility of substances, such as paclitaxel. Many drugs based on paclitaxel are dissolved in lipid soluble formulations, which are associated with a range of side-effects. These can usually be controlled with pre-medication. The main indications are ovarian cancer, lung cancer and second line breast cancer.
About Oasmia Pharmaceutical AB
Oasmia Pharmaceutical AB develops new generations of drugs within human and veterinary oncology. The Company’s product development aims to create and manufacture novel nanoparticle formulations and drug-delivery systems based on well-established cytostatics which, in comparison with current alternatives, show improved properties, reduced side-effects, and expanded applications. The company’s product development is based on its proprietary in-house research and company patents. It is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm (OASM) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (OMAX, ISIN SE0000722365).
Johan Edin, acting Head of Public Relations, Oasmia Pharmaceutical AB. E-mail: press@oasmia.com Phone: +46 (0) 18 50 54 40. www.oasmia.com www.nasdaqomxnordic.com www.boerse-frankfurt.de twitter.com/oasmia
