VioQuest Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for the company's investigational product candidate Xyfid.

US Patent No. 7,368,456 ('456 patent), entitled "Methods, compositions, and kits for organ protection during systemic anticancer therapy," includes pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treatment, and combination kits. The '456 patent applies to the use of Xyfid as well as to a range of methods designed to protect body tissue from the toxic effects of certain systemically administered anticancer therapeutic agents.

In particular, cutaneous toxicities are a side-effect associated with some commonly used anticancer therapies, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and the oral 5-FU prodrug capecitabine.

For example, many patients treated with EGFR-inhibitors develop dermatological toxicity, including skin drying, fissuring, and acneform rash that may cause the reduction, interruption or discontinuation of treatment. As envisioned in the '456 patent, topical application of a recombinant EGF formulation could treat or prevent these skin toxicity manifestations, permitting the full and uninterrupted course of treatment to be administered.

In another example, patients treated with bevacizumab in combination with intravenous 5-FU-based chemotherapy for metastatic carcinoma of the colon are also at risk for skin toxicity. As envisioned in the '456 patent, topical application of a recombinant VEGF formulation could treat or prevent skin toxicity.

"The issue of dose-limiting cutaneous toxicities in cancer therapy puts many patients at risk and has a significant impact on efficacy and patient outcomes. The '456 patent further positions VioQuest to advance clinical programs involving Xyfid and new research involving a range of methods to address toxicity issues for patients treated with anticancer therapies in the years ahead," said Michael D. Becker, president and chief executive officer of VioQuest Pharmaceuticals.

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals is developing Xyfid for the treatment of dry skin conditions, to manage the burning and itching associated with various dermatoses, and for the prevention of palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE), also known as hand-foot syndrome (HFS), a relatively common dose-limiting side effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy.