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Trials of an experimental cancer drug reaped positive results, with 85% of volunteers achieving complete remission, maker BioSante Pharmaceuticals has announced.
GVAX was given to a test group of volunteers with leukaemia, although the company says it also has the potential to treat pancreatic cancer.
The news comes not long after GVAX was awarded orphan drug status as a potential treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US.
The title, awarded to drugs tackling rare conditions for which there are a lack of available medications, makes the treatment eligible for a number of market incentives, including seven years of exclusivity following FDA approval, assistance in clinical trial design and a reduction in user fees and tax credits.
The results of the mid-stage study, carried out by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, were published in the journal Blood.
Copyright Press Association 2010
BioSante Pharmaceuticals
