Patent ID: 6017557
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: A61K,A61P,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of treating an animal afflicted with a cancer which comprises reducing the size of a cancerous tumor susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of an etherlipid, the method comprising the steps of administering to the animal a pharmaceutical composition comprising:(a) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; and,(b) a lipid-based carrier having a lipid component which consists essentially of:(i)) an etherlipid having the formula: ##STR5## (ii) a complementarily shaped lipid, wherein:R.sup.1 is a group having the formula Y.sub.1 Y.sub.2 ;Y.sub.1 is --(CH.sub.2).sub.n1 (CH.dbd.CH).sub.n2 (CH.sub.2).sub.n3 (CH.dbd.CH).sub.n4 (CH.sub.2).sub.n5 (CH.dbd.CH).sub.n6 (CH.sub.2).sub.n7 (CH.dbd.CH).sub.n8 (CH.sub.2).sub.n9 ;the sum of n1+2n2+n3+2n4+n5+2n6+n7+2n8+n9 is an integer of from 9 to 23;n1 is zero or an integer of from 1 to 23, n3 is zero or an integer of from 1 to 20, n5 is zero or an integer of from 1 to 17, n7 is zero or an integer of from 1 to 14 and n9 is zero or an integer of from 1 to 11;each of n2, n4, n6 and n8 is independently zero or 1;Y.sub.2 is CH.sub.3 or CO.sub.2 H;Z is oxygen or sulfur;the etherlipid comprises from about 30 mole percent to less than about 50 mole percent of the lipid component;the complementarily shaped lipid comprises from greater than about 50 mole percent to about 70 mole percent of the lipid component; and, the MMAM.sub.actual of the lipid is at least about 20% less than the MMAM.sub.expected of the lipid, and wherein the amount of the composition administered to the animal comprises a tumor growth-reducing effective amount of the etherlipid.