STORY OF Calicheamicin
was discovered in 1981 (or 1987) by a scientist from Lederle
Labs (now Wyeth) while on vacation in Kerrville, Texas (Other sources site
Waco, Texas). The scientist collected a soil sample, which consisted of caliche
clay, and sent it back to the lab for testing. Scientists grew a culture of the
soil sample and found tiny bacteria within the sample produced a compound
called "calicheamicin". Calicheamicin was found to be an incredibly potent cytotoxic agent
and worked by destroying the DNA of cancer cells. Calicheamicin was so potent
that it also destroyed the DNA of normal cells (1,000 to 10,000 times more cytotoxic to normal cells than
drugs already on the market)..
Dr. George Ellestad,
Dr. Janis Upeslacis and Dr. Philip Hamann (Wyeth) began studying calicheamicin
in order to better understand its mechanism. Together, they devised a plan to link calicheamicin to an antibody that
specifically targeted cancer cells. In this way, they were
able to keep calicheamicin from destroying normal cells because the antibody
linker served as a "by pass" taking calicheamicin directly to the
cancer cell.
The FDA approved this
new antibody-linked calicheamicin gemtuzumab
ozogamicin.
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on May 17, 2000, almost 20 years after its discovery.
IT is the very first drug in its class
(antibody-targeted chemotherapy agents) and is used in the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia.
Remission rates of greater than 30% have been reported (Clinical Trials).
However, its effectiveness in early relapsing LESS THAN 6 months or refractory AML patients is limited, possibly due to calicheamicin being a potent MDR1 substrate
Toxicity,
including myelosuppression, infusion toxicity, and venoocclusive disease, can
be observed with gemtuzumab ozogamicin.
Pretreatment
with glucocorticoids can diminish many of the associated infusion reactions.
Studies are examining this treatment in combination with chemotherapy for both
young and older patients with previously untreated AML.
This
agent has been withdrawn from
the U.S. market at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
due to concerns about the product's safety and clinical benefit as shown in
trials subsequent to those leading to its accelerated approval.
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