On October 7, 2020 Propella Therapeutics Inc. (Propella), a leader in the development of innovative best-in-class prescription products, reported the issuance of a U.S. patent for a new drug treatment for metastatic prostate cancer (Press release, Propella Therapeutics, OCT 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234568209]). The patent covers new molecules that are designed to provide significant advantages over the current standard of care. The patent, titled Abiraterone Prodrugs, protects certain novel prodrugs. These are biologically inactive compounds that the body converts into the active pharmacological agent, abiraterone.
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"This patent protects our ability to develop and market safe, effective, and long-acting drugs for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and other conditions related to the overproduction of androgens," said Propella President and CEO William Moore, PhD. "This protection gives Propella and its investors further confidence to complete promising preclinical studies and file its Investigational New Drug (IND) application in the first quarter of 2021."
Abiraterone is a potent CYP 17 enzyme inhibitor that prevents the synthesis of testosterone and other androgens that fuel prostate cancer cells. The current treatment uses abiraterone acetate, which patients take by mouth, once a day. This produces varying blood concentrations of abiraterone, including high levels that can be toxic, and low blood levels that may not be effective against cancer tumors. Propella’s prodrug abiraterone decanoate has been shown to profoundly reduce testosterone levels for three months following a single injection.
Internationally recognized expert in systemic therapies for patients with advanced urologic cancers, Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, from the Carolina Urologic Research Center stated, "The preclinical data in primates show that testosterone reductions that result from the abiraterone prodrug depot injection are consistent with those clinically observed with oral abiraterone acetate. I am enthusiastic for the potential of this new more ‘patient-friendly’ treatment option for some metastatic prostate cancer patients."