TiumBio, a bio corporations specializing in research and development (R&D) of new drugs, said on the 25th that it received approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the international nonproprietary name (INN) of an anticancer drug candidate.
WHO proposed the use of INNs in 1953 so that health care workers and patients can distinguish drug ingredients clearly and avoid misuse and abuse. INNs typically attach a drug's main ingredient to the name of the company that developed it. For example, the INN of Tylenol, developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in the United States, is "Janssen acetaminophen." The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Japan are already using the INN system, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare is also reviewing its adoption.
According to TiumBio, the INN of the new drug candidate "TU2218" now under development is "Tosposertib." It is a compound of "tospo," symbolizing "together," which means "move forward together," and the suffix "sertib," which means an inhibitor of cell signaling pathways, and it carries the meaning of aiming for an innovative therapy that patients, medical staff, and society overcome together.
Tosposertib is an oral dual inhibitor that simultaneously suppresses the signals of transforming growth factor (TGF-ß) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are involved in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. It was developed with the goal of improving treatment response, similar to "Keytruda," an immuno-oncology drug from Merck (MSD).
TiumBio is currently conducting a phase 2 clinical trial in Korea and the United States of a combination therapy of Tosposertib and Keytruda. It confirmed meaningful anticancer efficacy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.
Kim Hun-taek, CEO of TiumBio, said, "It is very significant that we now have two new drug substances listed as INNs," and added, "We will do our utmost to develop Tosposertib, like Lazertinib developed domestically, into a therapy that can actually be used for cancer patients."