Q BioMed Inc highlighted that its pre-clinical Uttroside-B chemotherapeutic to treat liver cancer has been found in a new study to show superior safety and efficacy compared to the current US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug Sorafenib.
The publication in May this year was entitled 'Augmented Efficacy of Uttroside-B over Sorafenib in a Murine Model of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma'.
Q BioMed cited research that showed the global Sorafenib market was valued at US$1.08 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach US$1.18 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.21% between 2020 and 2027.
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"This is another very compelling result and adds weight to the promise of an effective therapeutic for a patient population that desperately needs better and more treatment options," said Denis Corin, CEO of Q BioMed in a statement.
"Having successfully completed a very challenging synthesis program, we are now finalizing manufacturing for tox studies, IND and a clinical partnership," he added.
Liver cancer incidence rates have more than tripled since 1980, while the death rates have more than doubled during this time, noted Q BioMed.
Over 800,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year globally and it accounts for more than 700,000 deaths annually.
The therapeutic efficacies of Utt-B versus sorafenib against HCC were compared in vitro, using various liver cancer cell lines and in vivo, using mice bearing human xenografts, noted the biotech firm.
"The data indicate that Utt-B shows superior anti-HCC efficacy over sorafenib," it added.
The new research was led by Dr Ruby John Anto, a senior investigator at Rajiv Gandhi centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), an autonomous national institution fully owned by the Government of India.
Q BioMed has the exclusive license to the technology through an agreement with RGCB and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation - an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for human diseases.
Q BioMed describes itself as a commercial-stage biomedical acceleration and development company, focused on licensing and acquiring biomedical assets across the healthcare spectrum.
Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com