Patent Abstract:
a new method of therapy using the subcutaneous mode of administration of formulations based upon harringtonines including their salts and tautomeric forms having the formula where : r 1 is h , oh , ome , o — alkyl , o - aryl -- alkyl , o —- alkenyl , o —( c 3 - c 30 - cycloalkyl or null and r 2 is h or oh , or r 1 , r 2 form together — o —. r 3 ═ r 4 50 ome or r 3 and r 4 form together — och 2 o —, n is 0 to 8 , r 5 is h , oh , ome , o —- alkyl , o - aryl -- alkyl , o —- alkenyl , o —- cycloalkyl or o - aryl , z ═ o , s , or nh , and or z — r 8 is nr 12 r 13 , r 12 and r 13 representing respectively r 9 and r 10 , r 9 , r 10 , r 11 are independently h , c 1 - c 30 alkyl , c 3 c 30 cycloalkyl , aryl , aryl -- alkyl , c 2 - c 30 alkenyl , c 2 - c 30 alkynyl , c 1 - c 30 trihalogenoalkyl , c 1 - c 30 alkylamino - alkyl , c 1 - c 30 dialkylamino - alkyl , or amino -- alkyl , or where r 14 , r 15 , r 16 are independently h , halogen , c 1 - c 30 alkyl , c 3 - c 30 cycloalkyl , aryl , aryl -- alkyl , c 2 - c 30 alkenyl or c 2 - c 30 alkynyl , c 1 - c 30 trihalogenoalkyl , m is 0 to 4 , each of these groups including or not heteroatom or their combination with another antitumor agent or a mixture of antitumor agents useful for the treatment of a disease in humans or animals , particularly cancers , leukemias , lymphomas , parasite diseases or chemotherapeutic resistance to other agents , in using a formulation specifically adapted for subcutaneous administration .

Detailed Description:
the present invention describes a new method of therapy , its use / application in human and animal diseases and disorders , particularly cancers , leukemias , lymphomas , parasite diseases and therapeutic resistance to other agent , by the subcutaneous mode of administration of a drug based upon harringtonines such as homoharringtonine or harringtonine their salt and tautomeric form eventually combined with one or more chemotherapeutic agents or inhibitor of resistance , using a specifically adapted formulation in which ( i ) the ph of the formulation or constituted solution for injection ranges between 5 . 5 and 8 . 5 , ( ii ) the harringtonines are solution or hydrophilic freeze - dried powder ready - to - reconstitute of buffered salt of homoharringtonine or harringtonine and , ( iii ) the level of chromatographic purity of harringtonines suitable for pharmaceutical use is higher than 99 . 7 %. an important aspect of this invention is that the formulation of salt form of harringtonines administrated in mammals by the subcutaneous mode of administration has had much better bioavailability than the base form of the alkaloids harringtonines used in early clinical trials . another aspect of the invention is that harringtonines may be combined in the same subcutaneous injection with another chemotherapeutic agent , such as cytosine arabinoside , azadeoxycytidine ( decitabine ) or troxacytabine . further another aspect of the invention is that the subcutaneous mode of administration can be performed by bolus injection at regular intervals such as one to four injection a day during 1 to n days for a cycle of n days , n being preferably 28 , or by continuous subcutaneous infusion . the main advantage of this invention is the excellent local tolerance of the drug administrated subcutaneously . simultaneously , and due to the excellent bioavailability discovered in animal experiences , the durability of the therapeutic efficacy is expected , parrticularly against leukemias , compared to the existing continuous intravenous mode of administration . another advantage of this invention is to improve the quality of life of the patient ( absence of permanent infusion system ), especially when the new method of therapy is applied to outpatients , older and / or young patients . also , another great advantage of this invention is the self - administration method or administration of drugs based upon harringtonines by persons with minimal medical training such as the family of the patient . an additional advantage of the new method of administration is extending the use of drugs based upon harringtonines to animal cancers and leukemias which is not easy using the standard continuous infusion method . another aspect of the invention is that the application of the new method of treatment reduces the risk of general infections such as septicemias . an additional aspect of the invention is that it does not necessitate the use of additional administration operation when harringtonines are given in combination with subcutaneous cytarabine as a compatible mixture . yet , another advantage of the invention for the patient is its lower cost ( absence of additional costs related to the existing complex delivery systems such as electronic pump , disposable continuous infusion systems and hospitalization ) yet another aspect of the invention is the preparation of a new family of stable formulations of harringtonines exhibiting a weak potential for skin irritation , which would permit a safer long - term use of the drug . highly purified ( hplc purity 99 . 95 %) crystalline hht drug substance ( 150 grams ) is dissolved by mixing in acidified ( one equivalent of hydrochloric acid ) water for injection acidified by until total disappearance of solid phase . pharmaceutical grade mannitol ( 300 g ) is dissolved , then ph is adjusted to between 5 . 5 and 7 with 0 . 01 n hci or with 1 % sodium bicarbonate , then the clear resulting solution is sterilized by filtration . after analytical controls , 30 , 000 5 - ml sterile vials are filled with the preceding sterile bulk drug solution and submitted to lyophilisation (− 40 ° c ., 0 . 05 millibar ), after usual sealing , labelling and control the batch was released . all operations are under control according to the current good manufacturing process ( cgmp ) for parenteral drugs required by the united states food and drug administration ( fda ). comparative pharmacokinetic study in dogs after subcutaneous injection of 5 mg / m2 of hydrochloride and base forms of hht number of animals / sex / dose : the same dog was used for each treatment treatment 1 : continuous intravenous infusion ( civi ) for 48 hours ( days 1 and 2 ) treatment 3 : aqueous solution in 0 . 5 % hydroxyethylcellulose with 0 . 1 % tween 80 liquid feces with presence of blood , hypersalivation , decrease in activity , pallor of gingival mucous membranes and decrease in activity . following these signs , the decision was taken to sacrifice the dog on ethical grounds on day 11 . macroscopic post - mortem examination : thickened , edematous and reddish colored thymus , firm consistency of heart , many greyish foci on liver , several greyish nodules on spleen together with irregular surface , enlargement of kidneys together with several greyish foci , dilatation of ureters together with reddish contents , thickened mucosa of urinary bladder together with many reddish foci , reddish colored mucosa of the stomach and intestines together with thick reddish contents , microscopic examination of the skin biopsy ( taken on day 6 ); the test substance was well tolerated at the local level . the test substance hht , when administered to one dog by continuous intravenous infusion for 48 hours ( as hht - hydrochloride ) or by subcutaneous injection ( as hht - hydrochloride ) and hht - base ) at the dose - level of 0 . 25 mg / kg , resulted in good tolerance . second subcutaneous injection ( hht - base form ) result in mortality 8 hours after the beginning of the treatment . it was not possible to conclude if mortality was caused by cumulative toxicity or specific toxicity of the base form of hht . prior to death , the principal clinical signs included liquid feces , hypersalivation , decrease in activity and pallor of gingival mucous membrane . no clinical signs were noted following the civi . however , the dog showed a body weight loss following the iv and first sq treatments with the test substance a ( hht - hydrochloride ). histopathology of a skin biopsy taken the day after the sq injection of hht - hydrochloride demonstrated that the test substance was well tolerated at the local level . blood samples were collected at time 0 , 30 , 60 , 120 , 240 , 480 minutes and 24 hours then hht concentration was determined in plasma by an hplc method in using a fluorimetric detection . the evolution of concentration in function of time was plotted as showed in below figure . maximum of concentration reached 112 ng / ml after 2 hours for hht hydrochloride versus only 18 ng / ml after 0 . 5 hours for the base form of the alkaloid . area under the curve ( auc ) was 280 ng / ml × hr for hht hydrochloride versus only 86 . 5 ng / ml × hr for hht - base , calculated rate auc hht - hydrochloride / auc hht - base was 3 . 24 . after subcutaneous injection in dogs , the bioavailability of salt form of hht is considerably higher ( triple ) than the base form of this alkaloid . this finding combined with time and level of blood concentration indicates that subcutaneous mode of administration of hht hydrochloride compatible with human use the results of the pharmacokinetic study are illustrated in the appended fig1 and 2 . investigational treatment a patient ( no op - 99 - 04 # 01 ) with an acute leukemia by subcutaneous injection of low - dose hht hydrochloride m . mont . ( no op - 99 - 04 # 01 ) was a patient with an acute myeloid leukemia resistant to all available approved and investigational chemotherapies . in addition , this patient was not eligible for bone marrow transplantation . all current good clinical practices and applicable ethical rules were applied . particularly , a written treatment protocol had been approved by an institutional review board and the patient had signed a consent form before its enrollment in the clinical trial performed in a french institution located in paris . physicians of this institution were experienced with the clinical use of the same formulation by intravenous mode of administration in patients with myeloid leukemias . before starting the investigational treatment based upon the subcutaneous mode of administration , all routine clinical , biochemical and biological investigations including bone marrow aspiration were performed to confirm the diagnosis , the clinical characteristics of the patient and also to check any possible contra - indication . a 5 mg - vial of lyophilized hht hydrochloride for injection was reconstituted with 2 . 5 ml of saline water for injection . a volume corresponding to 1 mg of hht per square meter of body surface area per day divided in two daily subcutaneous injections ( 2 subcutaneous injections a day ) was administered in a short single injection , during a period of nine ( 9 ) consecutive days . during this period no local sign of intolerance was encountered at the point of injection , moreover , the injection was indolent and neither local signs such as inflammatory reaction , induration , tumefaction , pruritus , nor general clinical signs were experienced by the patient . for ethical reasons , and due to a total absence of clinically detectable reactions , a biopsy for microscopic analysis was not performed . the appended fig3 illustrates the patient &# 39 ; s forearm 3 days after five consecutive subcutaneous injections in five dose skin areas ( small hematomas , sometimes seen at the point of injection , are caused by thrombocytopenia and are not drug related ): periphera and white blood cells and platelet counts indicated a relatively fast decrease of granulocyts count . post - induction treatment follow - up indicated a strong myelosuppressive effect typical of activity of intravenous hht usually encountered in using a dose of 2 . 5 mg / m 2 / day . no additional side - effects or detectable signs of toxicity were experienced by the patient during the treatment . accordingly , it was concluded that subcutaneous hht is at least as safe and efficient as intravenous hht . investigational treatment a patient ( no op - 99 - 04 # 02 ) with an acute leukemia by subcutaneous injection of low - dose hht hydrochloride m . mor . ( no op - 9904 # 02 ) was a patient with a blastic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia resistant to all available approved and investigational chemotherapies and was not eligible for bone marrow transplantation . after using the same method of therapy than in example 3 , no local sign of intolerance was encountered at the various points of injection . as for the patient of example 3 the injection was indolent and neither local signs such as inflammatory reaction , induration , tumefaction , pruritus , nor general clinical signs were experienced by this patient . for ethical reasons , and due to a total absence of clinically detectable reactions , a biopsy for microscopic analysis was not performed . more generally , same clinical features as in example 3 were found . investigational treatment a patient ( no op - 99 - 04 # 03 ) with an acute leukemia by subcutaneous injection of low - dose hht hydrochloride m . x . ( no op - 99 . 04 # 03 ) was a patient with an acute myeloid leukemia resistant to all available approved and investigational chemotherapies and was not eligible for bone marrow transplantation . after using the same method of therapy than in example 3 and 4 , no local sign of intolerance was encountered at the various points of injection . as for the patient of example 3 and 4 the injection was indolent and neither local signs such as inflammatory reaction , induration , tumefaction , pruritus , nor general clinical signs were experienced by this patient . for ethical reasons , and due to a total absence of clinically detectable reactions , a biopsy for microscopic analysis was not performed . same clinical improvements as those seen in example 3 and 4 was found . 1 . anonymous and c . r . c . group , cephalotaxine esters in the treatment of acute leukemia . a preliminary clinical assessment . chin med j ( engo , 1976 . 2 ( 4 ); p . 263 - 72 . 2 . legha , s . s ., et al ., phase i clinical investigation of homoharringtonine . cancer treat rep , 1984 . 68 ( 9 ); p . 1085 - 91 . 3 . neidhart , j . a ., et al , phase i trial of homoharringtonine administered by prolonged continuous infusion . cancer res , 1986 . 48 ( 2 ): p . 967 - 9 . 4 . warrell , r . p ., jr ., c . j . coonley , and t . s . gee . homoharringtonine : an effective new drug for remission induction in refractory nonlymphoblastic leukemia . j clin oncol , 1985 . 3 ( 5 ): p . 617 - 21 . 5 . feldman , e ., et al ., homoharringtonine is safe and effective for patients with acute myelogenous leukemia . leukemia , 1992 . 6 ( 11 ): p . 1185 - 8 . 6 . feldman , e . j ., et al ., homoharringtonine in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome ( mds ) and mds evolving to acute myeloid leukemia . leukemia , 1996 . 10 ( 1 ) p . 40 - 2 . 7 . kantarjian , h . m ., et al , phase ii study of low - dose continuous infusion homoharringtonine in refractory acute myelogenous leukemia . cancer , 1989 . 63 ( 5 ). p . 813 - 7 . 8 . o &# 39 ; brien , s ., et al ., homoharringtonine therapy induces responses in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in late chronic phase . blood , 1995 . 86 ( 9 ); p . 3322 - 6 . 9 . o &# 39 ; brien , s ., et al . sequential homoharringtonine and interferon - alpha in the treatment of early chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia . blood , 1999 . 93 ( 12 ): p . 4149 - 53 . 10 . college ., s . m .. analysis of 51 cases of acute non - lymphocytic leukemias treated with combined program of chinese traditional medicine and hoap . chung hua nei ko tsa chih , 1981 . 20 ( 4 ): p . 205 - 7 . 11 . anonymous and s . m . college , high remission induction ( traditional sino - western hoap ) regimen for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia . chin med j ( engl ), 1980 . 93 ( 8 ): p . 565 - 8 . 12 . hua , z . and s . xiong , combined hoap and traditional chinese medicine in treating acute nonlymphocytic leukemia . chung hua hsueh yeh hsueh tsa chi , 1982 . 3 : p . 296 - 298 . 13 . group , s . l . r . c ., clinical study of cephalotaxine ester in the treatment of acute non - lymphoid leukemia . shanghai med j , 1983 . 6 : p . 319 - 323 . 14 . shan , y . d ., [ hoap / hoagp in the treatment of acute non - lymphocytic leukemia : an analysis of 68 cases ] . chung hua i hsueh ts chih , 1985 . 65 ( 10 ): p . 590 - 2 . 15 . zhang , z . y ., et al ., curative effect of harringtonine semisynthetic harringtonine and hoap on nonlymphocytic leukemias . analysis of 304 cases . chin med j ( engl ), 1987 . 100 ( 7 ): p , 565 - 8 . 16 . zhang , z . y ., c . h . hou , and y . f . zhu , a preliminary therapeutic analysis of 82 cases of chronic granulocytic leukemia treated with harringtonine . chung hua nei ko tsa chih ( chinese j intern med ), 1986 . 25 ( 3 ): p . 156 - 7 , 190 . 17 , zhang , g . z ., [ combination treatment of acute non - lymphocytic leukemia with hoap and aa - preliminary report of 14 cases ] . chung hua chung liu tsa chih , 1991 . 13 ( 1 ): p . 52 - 4 . 18 . meng , f ., b . xu , and s . zhou , harringtonine combined arabinoside with etoposide or vm 26 for treatment refractory acute non lymphocytic leukemia . blood , 1998 . 92 ( 10 ) suppl . 1 abstract (# 3925 ). 19 . pan , r . p ., analysis of 33 cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia and the therapeutic effects of harringtonine treatment , chung hua hsueh yeh hsueh tsa chi , 1981 . 2 : p . 24 - 26 . 20 . anonymous and l . r . g . o . t . c . l . a . t . hospital , an analysis of 72 cases of leukemia treated with cephalotaxus ester alkaloid . zhonghua yixue zazhi [ journal of the chinese academy ], 1978 . 58 : p . 163 - 166 . 21 . bian , s . g ., y . s . hao , and z . c . wang , [ analysis of the therapeutic efficacy and prognostic factors of intensive chemotherapy in 91 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia ] . chung hua nei ko tsa chih , 1990 . 29 ( 1 ): p 22 - 5 , 60 . 22 . grem , j . l ., et al ., cephalotaxine esters : antileukemic advance or therapeutic failure ? 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