The U.K.-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted
Tremelimumab orphan drug status for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.
Robert Iannone, Head of Immuno-oncology at AstraZeneca's Global
Medicines Development division, said that there is a crucial need to
develop additional Mesothelioma treatments, since less than 5% of the
deadly Cancer's victims live more than five years. “Our aim is to
rapidly advance the development of Tremelimumab,” Iannone stated, adding
that the company hoped the drug would become a viable new option for
treatment of the disease.
Tremelimumab is an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody,
which means that it blocks production of an inhibitor that destroys
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), a type of white blood cell produced
naturally by the body that can recognize and kill cancer. With the
inhibitor blocked, the body can produce potentially Cancer-defeating
CTLA-4 antibodies more quickly.
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