Tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of a novel benzene-poly-carboxylic acids complex with cis-diammineplatinum (II) dichloride in dogs with malignant mammary tumours

Refined experimental design may increase the value of murine models for estimation of bluetongue virus virulence

Bluetongue is a serious non-contagious vector-borne viral disease in ruminants, causing poor animal welfare and economic consequences globally. Concern has been raised about the development of novel bluetongue virus (BTV) strains and their possibly altered virulence through the process of viral reassortment. Virulence is traditionally estimated in lethal dose 50 (LD₅₀) studies in murine models, but agreement with both in vitro and virulence in ruminants is questionable, and a refined experimental design is needed. Specific reassortants between wild-type and vaccine strains of BTV-1, -6 and -8 have previously been developed by reverse genetics. The aim of the present study was to rank the in vivo virulence of these parental and reassortant BTV strains by calculating LD₅₀ in a murine model by using an experimental design that is new to virology: a between-patient optimised three-level response surface pathway design. The inoculation procedure was intracranial. Fifteen suckling mice were used to establish LD₅₀ for each strain. Three parental and five reassortant virus strains were included. The LD₅₀s varied from of 0.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0-0.20) to 3.3 (95% CI 2.96-3.72) tissue culture infectious dose 50/ml. The results support the hypothesis that reassortment in BTV may lead to increased virulence in mice with potential negative consequences for the natural ruminant host. The ranking showed low agreement with in vitro properties and virulence in ruminants according to existing literature. Refined design such as response surface pathway design was found suitable for use in virology, and it introduces significant ethical and scientific improvements.

Efficacy and tolerability of BP-C1 in metastatic breast cancer: a Phase II, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled Thai multi-center study

AIMS

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of BP-C1 vs equal-looking placebo in metastatic breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center study with a semicross-over design was performed. Sixteen patients received daily intramuscular injection of 0.035 mg/kg bodyweight of BP-C1 and 15 patients received equal-looking placebo for 32 days. After 32 days, the placebo patients crossed to BP-C1 with the last observation in the placebo period as baseline. The status of receptors including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PtR), and human EGF receptor 2 (HER2) was analyzed prior to inclusion in the study. Thoracoabdominal CT scan was blindly analyzed by the same independent radiologist in accordance with the RECIST criteria 1.1. Toxicity was assessed according to the NCI Bethesda Version 2.0 (CTC-NCI), and the quality of life (QOL) was assessed according to European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL-C30 and QOL-BR23.

RESULTS

The sum of target lesion diameters (sum lesions) after 32 days of treatment increased by 8.9% (P=0.08) in the BP-C1 arm compared to 37.6% (P<0.001) in placebo patients. Twelve of the 15 placebo patients subsequently had BP-C1 treatment. The increase in sum lesions was 3.5% in these patients. The sum of CTC-NCI was increased 18.7% in the BP-C1 arm (P=0.38) compared to 50.9% (P=0.04) in placebo patients. Four mild/moderate adverse events (AEs) present in BP-C1. Two mild/moderate AEs and one severe AE present in placebo. The QOL benchmarks "breast cancer problems last week", "sexual interest and activity last 4 weeks", and "breast cancer-related pain and discomfort last week" were stable in the BP-C1 arm but deteriorated in placebo patients. The sum lesions increased significantly in ER+ (P=0.02) and PtR+ (P=0.03) but not in HER2+. The increase in sum lesions significantly decreased (P=0.02) with an increasing number of negative receptors.

CONCLUSION

A total of 32 days of BP-C1 treatment inhibited cancer growth and was well tolerated with few and mainly mild AEs. The efficacy of BP-C1 was superior in receptor-negative patients.

CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER

NCT03603197.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of novel platinum containing anticancer agent BP-C1 studied in rabbits using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method of platinum quantification in whole blood samples after microwave digestion using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been developed. The following analytical figures of merit have been established: limit of detection 1.1 µg/L for blood samples, dynamic range 3.6–200 µg/L, intra‐day precision (relative standard deviation, n = 9) did not exceed 5%. Spiked samples were analyzed for method validation. The method was used for pharmacokinetics studies of a novel anti‐cancer drug BP‐С1, a complex of cis‐configured platinum and benzene‐poly‐carboxylic acids. Main pharmacokinetic parameters (area under curve, maximum concentration, clearance, half‐life times for α‐ and β‐phase) were estimated for two dosage forms of BP‐C1 0.05 and 0.125 mass %. Pharmacokinetic curves were assessed for single and course administration. Studies were performed using rabbits (n = 6) as a model. BP‐C1 was injected intramuscularly. The study established dose proportionality of the tested dosage forms and suggested clinical dosing schedule: 5 days of injections followed by 2 days’ break. Platinum tissue distribution was studied in tissue samples collected 20 days after the last injection. Predominant platinum accumulation was observed in kidneys, liver, and muscles near injection site. ‘Slow’ phase of platinum excretion kinetics may be related to the muscles at the injection site. © 2015 The Authors. Drug Testing and Analysis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.