Initial CerRx Clinical Products

CerRx will focus for its initial clinical products on intravenous formulations of two drugs (fenretinide + safingol) that have a remarkable synergistic activity at drug levels expected to generate modest systemic toxicity.

Fenretinide (4-HPR)

Synthetic vitamin A-like molecule
Increases ceramide waxes in cancer cells but not in normal cells.
Kills cancer cells but not normal cells
Clinically-proven low level of bone marrow toxicity
Clinically-proven absence of mouth lesions and hair loss

Safingol

An artificial ceramide precursor
Converted into abnormal ceramide waxes
Increases killing of fenretinide in cancer cells but not in normal cells
Clinically-proven tolerance of CerRx safingol formulation

Intravenous formulations of fenretinide and safingol developed by CerRx founders and the National Cancer Institute Developmental Therapeutics Program are both in early phase clinical trials. CerRx holds an exclusive license to issued patents for both of these novel formulations and issued patents covering the rights to combine them.