This oral drug might make blood cancer treatment safer
What's the story
Poolbeg Pharma, a London-based start-up, is gearing up to test its novel oral drug POLB 001. The medication is designed to make blood cancer treatment safer by preventing cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the immune system overreacts and attacks the body, causing organ damage.
Cost-effective solution
The new drug could save a lot of money
The introduction of POLB 001 could also save the NHS and other health systems a lot of money. Patients undergoing treatment wouldn't have to be monitored in specialized cancer hospitals for fear of a cytokine storm. This would allow care to be provided at community hospitals, reducing the cost per patient and increasing the number of patients who can receive treatment.
Trial details
Effectiveness will be evaluated on 30 patients
The effectiveness of POLB 001 will be evaluated on 30 patients receiving Johnson & Johnson's blood cancer drug teclistamab. The trial will take place at six hospitals in Britain and is being led by the University of Manchester and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma, said that while cancer immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell and bispecific antibody treatments are effective, they all have issues with cytokine storms.
Prevalence
Around 70% of people receiving cancer immunotherapies develop CRS
Around 70% of people receiving cancer immunotherapies from J&J, Gilead, Novartis, AstraZeneca and others develop CRS. The condition starts with fever and increased heart rate and can require intensive care. There is currently no approved therapy for CRS prevention. In the clinical trial, patients will start taking Poolbeg's drug at home before starting cancer treatment "just to keep the immune system under control ... and you won't develop CRS," Skillington said.
Market prospects
Poolbeg estimates a market worth $10B
Poolbeg estimates that around half a million people diagnosed with blood cancers multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma will receive immunotherapy by 2031 in the US and five biggest European countries. Based on a potential price of $20,000 per treatment with POLB 001 drug, the market could be worth $10 billion. The company is also developing a GLP-1 weight loss pill with Irish microencapsulation company AnaBio Technologies.