Drug ‘still to reach full potential’

Press, 1 March 1984, Page 26

Drug ‘still to reach full potential’

Auckland

The anti-leukemia drug, amsacrine, which brought world acclaim to the Auckland Cancer Society research laboratory, has not yet realised its full potential, says the laboratory director, Dr Bruce Baguley. In the annual report of the laboratory, Dr Baguley said amsacrine would be increasingly used around the world as marketing became more widespread. “This world-wide acceptance of amsacrine is a fitting tribute to the life of Professor Bruce Cain, who was the guiding force behind its development and progress to clinical trial,” he said.

Amsacrine is the first compound the laboratory

produced to reach clinical trials. A second drug, a relative of amsacrine, is likely to do so early next year.

Dr Baguley said that when leukemia treatment was being discussed at an international conference in Vienna last year, amsacrine was described as the most active new agent discovered in recent years.