Marqibo now available to leukemia patients through myTomorrows' Internet-based platform

myTomorrows (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), announced today that it has started a collaboration with Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Henderson, USA; NasdaqGS: SPPI) to provide access to its liposome-encapsulated vincristine for treatment of Philadelphia chromosome negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In August 2012, the US FDA approved the product for treatment of this rare type of leukemia. Through myTomorrows' Internet-based platform, the product is now also made available to patients and doctors in all other countries of the world, except China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, through an Early Access Program.

"We are pleased to make Marqibo® also available to leukemia patients outside of the United States, in countries where the treatment did not yet receive market approval," said Dr. Ronald Brus MD, founder and CEO of myTomorrows. "By taking care of the complex and time consuming process of receiving approval from regulatory authorities and healthcare insurers for individual patients, we aim to unburden these patients and their physicians by fulfilling their request as quickly as possible."

Joseph Turgeon, President and COO of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals said "We look forward to expand our collaboration with myTomorrows to also bring this product to doctors and patients through myTomorrows' global platform. It provides an additional option for acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients whose disease is unresponsive to available therapies and underscores Spectrum's efforts to combat this terrible disease."

Marqibo now available to leukemia patients through myTomorrows' Internet-based platform

Breakthrough in battle against leukemia

The research team has demonstrated that leukaemic cells can be eradicated by removing a carbohydrate modification displayed on the cell's surface.

Director of Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics, Professor Mark von Itzstein is the Australian team leader. He said the discovery is an important advance against leukemia, a cancer of malignant white blood cells that multiply uncontrollably. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer.

"We have found that the leukaemic cell has an altered cell surface carbohydrate decoration compared to normal cells and this also conveys resistance to drug treatment," Professor von Itzstein said.

"We have now shown that with the removal of this carbohydrate alteration the cells die."

Professors Nora Heisterkamp and John Groffen, leaders of the US-based team, Professor von Itzstein and their colleagues have published their research findings in the latest edition of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Professor von Itzstein said the research could lead to new ways to fight the disease, particularly where it has become treatment resistant.

"Up until 40 years ago, only one child in five survived ALL," but advances in chemotherapy have changed that outcome and now nearly 80 percent of children with ALL will be cured," Professor von Itzstein said.

"For the remaining 20 percent, however, the disease returns necessitating additional rounds of intensive chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most relapsed patients die within one year because their cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy.

Breakthrough in battle against leukemia