Protein-bound paclitaxel, also known as
nanoparticle albumin–bound paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel, is an
injectable formulation of
paclitaxel used to treat
breast cancer,
lung cancer and
pancreatic cancer, among others. Paclitaxel kills cancer cells by preventing the normal breakdown of
microtubules during cell division.
In this formulation, paclitaxel is bonded to
albumin as a delivery vehicle.
It is manufactured and sold in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by
Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, was a pharmaceutical company that produced cancer and immunology drugs. Its primary products were Revlimid (lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (63% of 2018 r ...
under the trade name Abraxane where it is designated as an
orphan drug as first-line treatment, in combination with
gemcitabine, for the
orphan disease "metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas".
This treatment was approved in the United States in 2005, and the European Union in 2008, for
breast cancer cases where cancer did not respond to other
chemotherapy or has relapsed. In 2012, the FDA widened the approved uses to include treatment for NSCLC.
In 2013, the FDA approved protein-bound paclitaxel for use in treating advanced
pancreatic cancer as a less toxic (although less effective) alternative to
FOLFIRINOX.
Society and culture
Abraxane is registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the breast after failure of
anthracycline therapy. Abraxane is also included on the Schedule of the Australian
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme although the manufacturer was unable to convince the independent
Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee that the drug warranted a higher price than existing comparator drugs. Protein-bound paclitaxel was developed by VivoRx which became
Abraxis BioScience as the first in its class of drugs to use the nanoparticle albumin bound (nab) technology platform.
In 2010, Abraxis was acquired by
Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, was a pharmaceutical company that produced cancer and immunology drugs. Its primary products were Revlimid (lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (63% of 2018 r ...
, which now markets Abraxane. Total revenue from the sales of Abraxane for 2009 were $314.5 million.
In 2013, Abraxane was FDA approved for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. In 2014, Abraxane's sales were $848 million, 31 percent year-over-year increase. In 2019
Bristol Meyers Squibb acquired Celgene for $74 billion dollars, and thus acquired Abraxis Bioscience and the rights to manufacture and market Abraxane.
The UK's
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced in 2015, that it would not support the routine use of protein-bound paclitaxel in advanced pancreatic cancer on the NHS. However, this decision was changed in September 2017. It has continued to be reimbursed in England since then, despite questionable real world effectiveness.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Protein-bound Paclitaxel
Breast cancer
Drugs developed by Bristol Myers Squibb
Mitotic inhibitors
Orphan drugs