Naproxcinod dans les 10 traitements les plus prometteurs du rapport Scientific American

In Focus
December 11, 2006

Special Report: 10 Promising Treatments for World's Biggest Health Threats

Cutting-edge pharmaceuticals now being tested could revolutionize the fight against cancer, Alzheimer's, HIV, diabetes, nicotine addiction and other devastating diseases
By Charles Q. Choi

Treatments for diabetes, smoking, Alzheimer's disease and lung cancer are just a few of the potentially lifesaving cures Scientific American has chosen to highlight in this year's roundup of drugs you've never heard of, despite their potentially huge impact on global health.

These 10 treatments, all of which could significantly impact global health and wellness, are currently running the last gauntlet a pharmaceutical must run before it becomes available to the public--the clinical trial. During this trial researchers test the drug on humans, carefully observing its side effects as well as its overall effectiveness.

ADVERTISEMENT

All of the following substances have already passed phase I safety trials and are proceeding into phase II or III efficacy and toxicity trials. (One caveat: any therapy in development runs a risk of failure, even after passing phase III.)
A number of these trials represent completely novel classes of therapy, such as employing fragments of RNA that interfere with problem genes or developing vaccines meant to quell drug addiction.

Some of this year's candidates target the usual rogues' gallery of killers, such as malaria, lung cancer and HIV.

Many of the disorders targeted by the following treatments are becoming increasingly widespread. These disorders include diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects will someday afflict one in three children born today; Alzheimer's, which has become more common as life expectancy has increased; and the dengue viruses, which are causing larger and more frequent epidemics, especially in the tropics.

One of this year's drugs even has the potential to serve as a safer replacement for the painkiller Vioxx.

Alzheimer's Disease--Alzhemed
A new drug targeting the root of this debilitating degenerative disease could be the vanguard of a novel class of treatments

Dengue--Live attenuated 17D yellow fever and dengue chimera
A disease afflicting half a million people annually requires a special kind of vaccine

Diabetes--Technosphere Insulin System
Inhalable insulin could help diabetics regulate blood sugar to an unprecedented degree

Hepatitis C--E1E2/MF59
The world's first preventative vaccine against Hepatitis C could curb the spread of the disease that killed Allen Ginsberg and thousands of others

Arthritis--Naproxcinod
Potential replacement for Vioxx combines the powers of nitroglycerin with those of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Lung Cancer--Stimuvax
New vaccine against the deadliest of all cancers teaches the body to defend itself while avoiding the side effects of more traditional therapies

Malaria--RTS,S/AS02A
Killing more than two million people, mostly children, every year, this disease will finally face the first ever commercially available vaccine designed to fight it

Smoking--NicVAX
Immunizing the body against nicotine might be just what smokers need to quit for good

Vision Loss--Bevasiranib
First a Nobel Prize, and now a potentially viable treatment: the world's first interfering RNA drug could be the first of many

HIV--HPTN 046 and Nevirapine
Preventing the half-million cases of mother to child transmission of HIV every year would go a long way to turning the tide of an epidemic

Rapport American Scientific du 11/12/06

December 11, 2006
Arthritis
Potential replacement for Vioxx combines the powers of nitroglycerin with those of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
By Charles Choi

Treatment: Naproxcinod
Maker: NicOx
Stage: Phase III, may apply for approval in early 2009.

Why It Matters
Osteoarthritis is by far the most common form of arthritis, affecting nearly 21 million people in the U.S. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage covering the ends of bones in joints degenerates, causing pain and stiffness as bone rubs against bone.

ADVERTISEMENT

Millions of people rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen to treat chronic pain related to osteoarthritis and other conditions, but these are linked to gut ailments such as heartburn, ulcers and bleeding, as well as high blood pressure. In addition, one of the most popular painkillers prescribed for osteoarthritis, Vioxx, was withdrawn in 2004 after reports suggesting it doubled the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke. Since then, the FDA now cautions that all NSAIDs may be associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disorders.

How It Works
Naproxcinod grafts nitric oxide onto the painkilling NSAID naproxen. Nitric oxide helps dilate blood vessels and control blood pressure. Nitroglycerin is another example of a nitric oxide donor with medicinal effects. According to NicOx chief executive officer Michele Garufi, unlike nitroglycerin, Naproxcinod leads to a sustained, gentle release of nitric oxide.
Clinical trials suggest Naproxcinod treats pain, is tolerated well by the gut, and actually improves blood pressure. As a result, the FDA declared that at this time a large study into the cardiovascular safety of Naproxcinod is unnecessary.

Source