Pixantrone Shows Activity in a Preclinical Study of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gra...(alating agents and inhibit topoisomerase...),Health

"These results are intriguing, and, like the earlier data in animal models of multiple sclerosis, suggest that pixantrone may be of clinical utility in patients with severe myasthenia gravis or multiple sclerosis. We have been approached by European cooperative groups interested in performing clinical trials in both of these diseases," said Gabriella Pezzoni, Ph.D., Scientific Director of Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s European branch, and one of the investigators in the preclinical study on EAMG.

About the Preclinical Study

In an in vitro rodent model, pixantrone demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of T cell responses up to complete suppression of the proliferation in EAMG. EAMG was induced in subject animals using acetylcholine (T-cell) receptor, the autoantigen at the neuromuscular junction. The animals were randomly assigned to four treatment groups -- 1) preventive pixantrone (PIX)group, starting four days after immunization, 2) therapeutic PIX group, starting four weeks after immunization, 3) therapeutic mitoxantrone (MTX) group, starting four weeks after immunization, and 4) vehicle-treated animals as control groups. Doses of both pixantrone and mitoxantrone were equal to one-fourth of LD10 for single i.v. injection in animals. Although both pixantrone and mitoxantrone improved clinical symptoms, reduced weight loss and increased muscle acetylcholine receptor content compared with vehicle-treated rats, pixantrone appeared to be more effective at equitoxic doses.

About Pixantrone

Pixantrone is an investigational agent under development for the potential treatment of various hematological malignancies. It was developed to improve the activity and safety of the anthracycline family of anti-cancer agents. Anthracyclines have been shown to be very acti
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