The U.S. pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has halted development of tanespimycin, a new drug that had been in late-stage clinical trials as a potential treatment for multiple myeloma.

In a statement to The Myeloma Beacon, a Bristol representative explained that “After careful assessment and consideration, Bristol-Myers Squibb made the decision to terminate our development program for tanespimycin, which was in Phase 3 trials for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma.” 

The Bristol-Myers statement was issued after the Beacon inquired about the status of the tanespimycin development program. 

In a subsequent clarification to the…

During this year’s meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), there were several presentations about tanespimycin, a new drug currently being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Kosan Biosciences. Tanespimycin inhibits Hsp90, which acts as a molecular chaperone for proteins critical to the growth, survival, and drug resistance of cancerous cells.  

Safety And Activity Profile Of Tanespimycin And Velcade From Phase 1/2 Study

One of the ASH presentations showed that the combination treatment of tanespimycin and Velcade (bortezomib) effectively targets Hsp90 in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.…

An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting abstract, to be presented on June 1 at the ASCO Annual Meeting, describes a study on the combined effects of tanespimycin and Velcade (bortezomib) on patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Researchers found that combining tanespimycin and Velcade strengthened the drugs’ effects; thus, the combined treatment compared favorably to therapy involving Velcade alone.

Tanespimycin, an antibiotic, binds to and disrupts Hsp90 (Heat Shock Protein 90). Hsp90 is a “chaperone” protein; it helps in the production of other proteins that…