Cancer Vaccine Approval Could Open Floodgates the US Food and Drug Administration Approved the First-Ever Vaccine to Treat Cancer on 29 April
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NEWS Antivenoms needed, say officials, but companies won’t bite “When a doctor in a developing nation sees The production process is usually not closely into the US is considered an Investigational New a patient with an infection, it’s an easy choice monitored, especially in the areas that need the Drug by the Food and Drug Administration—a to prescribe an antibiotic,” says Ana Padilla, venom most: sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia designation that may be appropriate, Pfaff says, a technical advisor at the World Health and Southeast Asia. The animal proteins in as there’s often a question as to the antivenom’s Organization (WHO) in Geneva. “But when the serum can often cause an allergic reaction, active ingredients. a patient shows up with a snake bite, most says Scott Pfaff, a venom expert and curator Additionally, many commercial producers doctors won’t know which antivenom to give of herpetology at the Riverbanks Zoo and of antivenoms have halted production or how to administer it—and even if they did, Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. because there simply aren’t enough snake they probably don’t have it or know where to “You have to know what you’re doing when bites to make a profit. For example, there get it.” you’re delivering the stuff, may no longer be adequate supplies of coral Because of this knowledge because the antivenom snake antivenom in the US later this year gap, Padilla says, at least might do a better job of because of a halt from its primary producer, 100,000 people die each injuring the patient Wyeth, in 2003. This means that the WHO’s year from snake bites, than the venom,” new initiative will probably be largely reliant N a and 300,000 more suffer tu Pfaff says. Any upon nonprofit organizations to produce the re ’s debilitating injuries. In early Im antivenom serums, Padilla says. a ge May, the WHO launched a s / imp or te d Stu Hutson, Gainesville, Florida Ph oto Re new website (http://www.who. search ers, Inc. int/bloodproducts/snake_antivenoms/) aimed at filling that gap. Some of the most needed antivenoms: The result of two years’ worth of information gathering, the site hosts a growing list of Common Name Species Name Antivenom(s) Threat more than 200 venomous snake descriptions, Americas Lanceheads Bothrops species Antibotropico Responsible for 15 Polivalente deaths per 100,000 maps showing the areas they inhabit and any people in Brazil known antivenoms, along with the companies Africa West African Echis ocellatus FAV-Afrique, Most common snake that produce them. The idea is that charities, carpet viper SAIMR Echis danger in central and medical organizations and governments will antivenom west sub-Saharan use the information to help ensure that needed Africa, up to 12.3% antivenoms are produced and distributed to fatality rate (in Nigeria) the proper areas. Asia Malayan Calloselasma Haemato-Polyvalent Responsible for half of But Padilla admits that it’s going to be pit viper rhodostoma snake antivenom, all hospitalizations in Malayan pit viper Malaysia, where mortal- an uphill battle. Antivenoms are expensive antivenin, Polyvalent ity rate reaches 18 per to produce. The lengthy process involves anti-snake venom 100,000 people exposing an animal (typically a horse) to Oceania Australian Pseudonaja CSL brown Responsible for half © 2010 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights Inc. America, Nature © 2010 venom and then refining the animal’s resulting brown snakes species snake antivenom, of approximately 200 blood-borne antibodies into a serum. Single CSL polyvalent snakebite deaths in antivenom Oceania each year doses can cost hundreds of dollars but only have a shelf life of around two years. Source: Chippaux, J.P. Bull. World Health Organ. 76, 515–524 (1998). Cancer vaccine approval could open floodgates The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever vaccine to treat cancer on 29 April. Company Product Type of cancer Phasea After a three-year battle with the regulatory agency Celldex Therapeutics & Pfizer CDX-110 Glioblastoma (brain) 2 and three phase 3 trials, the treatment—called GlaxoSmithKline MAGE-A3 ASCI Lung, melanoma 3 Provenge, by Seattle-based Dendreon—extended Geron GRNVAC1 Acute myelogenous leukemia 2 median survival time in men with advanced Vical Allovectin-7 Melanoma 3 prostate cancer by more than four months. Biovest International BiovaxID Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 3 The success of Provenge could herald many Oncothyreon & Merck Stimuvax Breast & lung 3 more therapeutic vaccine treatments for Oxford BioMedica TroVax Kidney 3 everything from brain tumors to renal cancer, says Joseph Pantginis, a biotech analyst with Roth Argos AGS-003 Kidney 2 Capital Partners in New York. “It finally breaks the New Link Genetics HyperAcute Lung, pancreas 2 glass ceiling after years of skepticism and many TVAX Biomedical TVAX Astrocytoma (brain) failures in the cancer immunotherapy space.” immunotherapy & kidney 2 Here are ten promising cancer vaccines aOngoing or completed trial phase. currently in mid- to late-stage development. NATURE MEDICINE VOLUME 16 | NUMBER 6 | JUNE 2010 615.