CATIE INFECTION FIGHTERS: Liposomes--of money and patents

INFECTION FIGHTERS: Liposomes--of money and patents

Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) TreatmentUpdate48, Vol. 4, No. 8 - March 1994
Sean Hosein

Researchers in the USA have been experimenting with a number of old antibiotics against MAC. As the patents on these antibiotics have expired there is no financial incentive for drug companies to test them as anti-MAC therapies. One way to get around this problem is to sell the antibiotic inside liposomes. Liposomes are tiny spheres of fat. Antibiotics or other drugs can be packed in liposomes and infused into patients. These repackaged drugs can be patented and higher prices charged.

LIPOSOME THEORY

Liposomes are supposed to penetrate cells, certain organs, tumours and microorganisms more easily than the ordinary form of the drug. As well, the liposomes should be less toxic. This should, in theory, improve anticancer therapies and treatment of infections caused by bacteria and fungi. Unfortunately, tests of liposomal drugs have not produced expected results. A good example is liposomal doxorubicin for the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma. Data from doctors not associated with the manufacturer suggest that the drug may improve quality of life for some patients but it can still cause side effects. Perhaps more importantly, it has no effect on survival. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA has recently refused to license liposomal doxorubicin for the treatment of KS.

LIPOSOMAL GENTAMYCIN

Meanwhile, The Liposome Company, Princeton, New Jersey, has been performing experiments on subjects with AIDS who also have MAC infection. Preliminary results suggest that liposomal gentamycin has not cured MAC infection. The study doctors are recommending that other antibiotics be used in combination wit liposomal gentamycin for treating MAC infection.

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