Vinflunine (INN, trade name Javlor) is a novel fluorinated vinca alkaloid derivative[2] undergoing research for the treatment of bladder cancer. It was originally discovered by the team of the Professor Jean-Claude Jacquesy (UMR CNRS 6514 – Poitiers University),[3] developed by Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and was licensed to Bristol-Myers Squibb for development in certain countries, including the United States.
On November 23, 2007, Pierre Fabre Medicament and Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that they were terminating their license agreement for the development of vinflunine, and that Pierre Fabre were continuing "discussions with regulatory authorities and plan to file for the registration of vinflunine for bladder cancer in the first quarter of 2008."[4]
Approvals and indications
As of 2012[update], vinflunine was registered for use in Australia for "advanced or metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract after failure of a prior platinum containing regimen," but is not covered under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.[5]
As of 2016[update], vinflunine was the only commercially-approved agent in some countries for salvage therapy of urothelial carcinoma, (with approval based on the results of a phase III trial), with a reported median OS of about 6 months.[6][7]
^Kruczynski A, Barret JM, Etiévant C, Colpaert F, Fahy J, Hill BT (March 1998). "Antimitotic and tubulin-interacting properties of vinflunine, a novel fluorinated Vinca alkaloid". Biochemical Pharmacology. 55 (5): 635–48. doi:10.1016/S0006-2952(97)00505-4. PMID9515574.
^Fahy J, Duflos A, Ribet JP, Jacquesy JC, Berrier C, Jouannetaud MP, Zunino F (1997). "Vinca Alkaloids in Superacidic Media: A Method for Creating a New Family of Antitumor Derivatives". J. Am. Chem. Soc.119 (36): 8576–8577. doi:10.1021/ja971864w.
