First tests of Czech anti-cancer drug successful-expert in press

Prague- The new Czech anti-cancer medicine GS-9219 has proved very successful in the treatment of tumours when administered to dogs during the first tests, Zdenek Havlas, head of the Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Institute, told today's issue of the daily Pravo.

The first results of the tests conducted by the U.S. Gilead Sciences company, indicate that the active substance GS-9212, developed by Czech scientist Antonin Holy, will probably mean "a revolution" in the treatment of patients suffering from lymphatic tissue cancer, Pravo writes.

If the first clinical trials on humans were successful too, the new medicine might appear in the market in six to eight years, said Havlas, heading the institute where Professor Holy works.

He told the paper that the first test results were amazing since the dogs' tumours were removed within five days since the administration of a single dose of the substance in infusion.

"The substance, metaphorically speaking, was able to turn fatal cancer into influenza that is being treated in five days," Havlas said.

The GS-9219 active substance directly affects the cancer-hit cells while not destroying the healthy tissue, Pravo writes.

Gilead Sciences, that will produce the medicine, is now testing the product in five top institutes in the United States and in another five facilities in the Czech Republic.

The development of the new anti-cancer medicine from the substance discovery to the final product will cost about 800 million dollars, 99 percent of which naturally come from the Gilead Science's budget, Havlas said.

The medicine is so far not designated for veterinary purposes, he added.