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Thyroid Disease Blog

By Mary Shomon, About.com Guide to Thyroid Disease since 1997

Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Drug Combretastatin Gets Orphan Drug Status in Europe

Monday April 19, 2004
Oxigene Inc. has announced today that regulators in Europe are assigning "orphan drug status" to its experimental anaplastic thyroid cancer drug, Combretastatin A4 Prodrug.

Orphan drug status, usually given to encourage development of drugs for rare diseases, means the manufacturer will have market exclusivity in the European Union for ten years after the drug is formally approved.

The drug selectively targets and destroy blood vessels that feed tumors, and is the only tested treatment that has had any results in treating anaplastic thyroid cancer, one of the rarest forms of thyroid cancer, and usually deadly.

In 2003 Combretastatin received orphan drug status in the U.S. and is now on fast track for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Comments

March 13, 2009 at 7:13 pm
(1) MAI says:

Hi
when will this drug be availabe for the public?? My mom have ATC, I so want to know if is available yet
thanks…

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