Why re-invent the wheel?
Iceni® Pharmaceuticals develops cancer therapies, specialising in repurposing and reformulating existing drugs for new indications. Using this strategy, much of the cost and risk surrounding the drug development process can be reduced. Patients should benefit from more rapid availability of new treatments since they have already been through extensive clinical trials and their safety profiles are already well established. The benefit to investors and licensees is a de-risked development process, since manufacture (CMC), toxicity and regulatory affairs are already well-characterised.
Novel cilengitide – proteasome inhibitor combination therapy
Cilcane® (generic name cilengitide) is Iceni’s lead drug candidate, initially for the blood cancer multiple myeloma. It is a pentapeptide drug with an excellent safety profile and a novel mechanism of action compared to existing myeloma treatments. It is administered as a supplementary therapy; given in COMBINATION with (rather than replacing) existing medications. Cilengitide previously underwent an extensive Phase III clinical development program by Merck Serono for the brain cancer glioblastoma. Many of the same team are now working with Iceni® Pharmaceuticals in developing Cilcane® for multiple myeloma and breast cancer.
