Cediranib (AZD-2171; tentative trade name Recentin) is a potent

inhibitor Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: Biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotransmi ...

vascular endothelial growth factor Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, ), originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is a signal protein produced by many cells that stimulates the formation of blood vessels. To be specific, VEGF is a sub-family of growth factors ...

(VEGF) receptor

tyrosine kinase A tyrosine kinase is an enzyme that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to the tyrosine residues of specific proteins inside a cell. It functions as an "on" or "off" switch in many cellular functions. Tyrosine kinases belong to a larger cla ...

s. The drug is being developed by

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () (AZ) is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

as a possible anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agent for oral administration.

Clinical trials

Beginning in 2007, it underwent phase I

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s for the treatment of non-small cell

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

, and

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

in adults, as well as tumors of the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...

in children. Phase I trials of interactions with other drugs used in cancer treatment were also undertaken. On February 27, 2008, AstraZeneca announced that the use of cediranib in non-small cell lung cancer will not progress into phase III after failing to meet its main goal. On 8 March 2010, AstraZeneca issued a press-release stating that cediranib had failed Phase III clinical trials for use in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer when it was compared clinically with the market-leader

bevacizumab Bevacizumab, sold under the brand name Avastin among others, is a monoclonal antibody medication used to treat a number of types of cancers and a specific eye disease. For cancer, it is given by slow injection into a vein (intravenous) and use ...

. In 2016, AstraZeneca completed a phase III trial comparing the efficacy of cediranib alone and cediranib with lomustine to the efficacy of lomustine alone in patients with recurrent

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...

. The trial failed to meet its primary endpoint and survival was not extended with cediranib.

Combination trials

Findings from a federally funded, NCI-sponsored phase II clinical trial presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the

American Society of Clinical Oncology The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a professional organization representing physicians of all oncology sub-specialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Fred Ansfield, Harry Bisel, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus G ...

(May 30 - June 3, 2014, Chicago, Ill; Abstract No: LBA5500), show that the combination of two investigational oral drugs, olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, and cediranib is significantly more active against recurrent, platinum chemotherapy-sensitive disease or ovarian cancer related to mutations in BRCA genes than olaparib alone.

References

External links

AZD2171—AstraZeneca Pipeline
{{Growth factor receptor modulators Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors Indole ethers at the benzene ring Quinazolines Drugs developed by AstraZeneca Fluoroarenes Catechol ethers 1-Pyrrolidinyl compounds Experimental cancer drugs