Drug shows promise in leukemia treatment

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Hello All,

Another new drug on the market?

Drug shows promise in leukemia treatment

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Dallas, TX, May. 2 (UPI) -- An experimental drug 100 times more potent than

any now available shows promise in treating one kind of leukemia,

researchers said Monday.

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The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study showed the

experimental drug might be effective against human chronic myelogenous

leukemia, which strikes about 5,000 Americans a year and has proved

resistant to treatment.

" This novel anti-leukemia drug that we have been working on shows

considerable promise for going into the clinic, " said Dr. Ilaria Jr.,

an associate professor and senior author of the study that will appear in an

upcoming issue of Blood. It has been published online.

The experimental drug, called PD166326, was tested on mice with a similar

form of leukemia. The tests showed it was nearly 100 times more potent than

imatinib, which targets a mutated enzyme produced by patients with the

specific form of leukemia. Up to 20 percent of patients taking imatinib

develop resistance to the drug.

" Our study represents the first published characterization of this novel

anti-leukemia drug in animals, " Dr. Ilaria said.