Dactolisib (codenamed NVP-BEZ235 and BEZ-235, also known as RTB101) is an imidazoquinoline derivative acting as a PI3K inhibitor.[1] It also inhibits mTOR.[2] It is being investigated as a possible cancer treatment.[3]
A phase II clinical trial for advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) had initially reported results, but was later terminated because insufficient normal tissue tolerance to the drug.[7]
A phase I clinical trial of BEZ235 in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma had to be terminated prematurely due to toxicity and a lack of clinical efficacy .[8]
Another Phase Ib study on patients with various solid cancers found severe normal tissue toxicity as well when BEZ235/Dactolisib was administered in combination with the mTOR inhibitor Everolimus. The authors concluded that the combination of both drugs demonstrated limited efficacy and tolerance. BEZ235 systemic exposure increased in a dose-proportional manner while oral bioavailability was quite low, which may be related to gastrointestinal-specific toxicity .[9]
A phase I study of BEZ-235 to treat acute lymphoid leukaemia was initiated in 2012, but no results were published since then.[10]
A phase 2a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in 2018 showed that everolimus in combination with dactolisib decreased the rate of reported infections in an elderly population.[11]
^Awasthi, N; Yen, PL; Schwarz, MA; Schwarz, RE (March 2012). "The Efficacy of a Novel, Dual PI3K/mTOR Inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 to Enhance Chemotherapy and Antiangiogenic Response in Pancreatic Cancer". Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 113 (3): 784–91. doi:10.1002/jcb.23405. PMID22020918. S2CID23005922.
^Maira, SM; Stauffer, F; Schnell, C; García-Echeverría, C (1 February 2009). "PI3K Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment: Where Do We Stand?". Biochemical Society Transactions. 37 (1): 265–72. doi:10.1042/BST0370265. PMID19143644.