Merck’s Zolinza to be fast tracked

Merck has stated that Zolinza, its treatment for advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), has been give priority review status by the FDA.

The company says that the drug could be the first in a new class of anti-cancer drugs, if it is approved. Zolinza is designed for use in cancers of the blood and solid tumours and it works by inhibiting histone deacetylase (HDAC), a type of enzyme that can silence tumour suppression genes responsible for encouraging normal cell behaviour – which is not the case in cancerous cells.

Stephen H Friend, executive vice-president of Merck’s oncology department at its research laboratories, remarked: “HDAC inhibitors like Zolinza are very exciting to the cancer community.”

“Zolinza is one of several investigational therapies that represent an important part of the growing Merck Oncology franchise,” he added.

CTCL is a type of cancer affecting the T-cells of the immune system. It causes cancerous T-cells to congregate under the skin, causing severe itchiness and potentially wounds. It affects four in every million people, according to cancer research UK. If treatment is administered during the first phases of the disease, patients can expect an average survival period of 32.5 years. However, this is reduced somewhat if treatment has not started until the later phases of the disease, according to a Stanford University study.

Merck said it expects the FDA to have decided on the drug by early October 2006 following the company’s new drug application.

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