Novogen files for US anticancer patents

Novogen (ASX:NRT) has filed for a suite of patents in the US covering cancer drugs based on the novel anti-tropomyosin (ATM) technology.

ATM drugs belong to a class of anticancer drug known as anti-miotics. They work by blocking the ability of cancer cells to divide, doing so in a cancer-specific way.

Currently approved anti-miotics, including taxanes and vinca alkaloids, remain among the most widely used anticancer drugs after 40 years of use.

But Novogen CEO Dr Graham Kelly said ATMs could have several advantages over traditional anti-miotics.

“The current generation of anti-mitotic drugs, despite their widespread use, comes with two key negatives. The first of those is a serious side-effect profile. The second is that many types of cancer are inherently insensitive to them,” he said.

“ATM drugs to date are showing an apparent lack of serious toxicity, as well as an ability to kill cancer cells that are insensitive to taxanes.”

Novogen arranged to license the ATM drug technology from Melbourne’s Genscreen last month in a royalty-based deal.

The company is focusing its ATM development program on prostate cancer, melanoma and children’s cancers. Novogen is exploring using the drugs as a monotherapy and in combination with the company's super-benzopyran drug technology.

Earlier this month, Novogen entered a joint venture with Yale University to develop super-benzopryan-based chemotherapies for ovarian cancer.

Novogen (ASX:NRT) shares were trading 2.08% lower at $0.235 as of around 12.30 pm on Wednesday.