Provectus Pharmaceuticals announced on Nov. 23 that it has enrolled at least 40 patients in its compassionate use program for PV-10, an experimental drug being studied primarily for melanoma.
PV-10 is an injectable form of Rose Bengal, a small molecule staining agent used to assess eye damage and liver ailments. Provectus determined that the drug selectively kills cancer cells and has been studying it in nonvisceral cancers.
Under the compassionate use program, patients who are not eligible for clinical trials and have certain breast cancers, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, certain head and neck cancers, and melanoma can receive PV-10, the company announced.
Phase II studies of PV-10 in metastatic melanoma have just been completed, and 10 of the patients from the study joined the compassionate use program.
Patients in the program will have more frequent and extensive treatment over a longer duration than did those who received the drug in the phase II studies. The company hopes that the compassionate use program might help pinpoint a dosing regimen that can be used in a phase III trial in metastatic melanoma.
Provectus will also pursue the study of PV-10 for liver cancer.