National Cancer Institute - Anti-cancer Drug Investigations

Anti-cancer Drug Investigations

The NCI played an early role in the discovery of anti-cancer drugs in the U.S. According to a 1996 NCI analysis of drugs approved by the FDA, two-thirds of the anti-cancer drugs approved as of the end of 1995 were NCI-sponsored Investigational New Drugs:

Alkylating agents .
  • Chlorambucil (Leukeran) (1957)
  • Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) (1959)
  • Thiotepa (1959)
  • Melphalan (Alkeran) (1959) (IV in 1993)
  • Streptozotocin (Zanosar) (1982)
  • Ifosfamide (Ifex) (1988)

Antimetabolites

  • Mercaptopurine (1953)
  • Methotrexate (1953)
  • Thioguanine (1966)
  • Cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) (1969)
  • Floxuridine (FUDR) (1970)
  • Fludarabine phosphate (1991)
  • Pentostatin (1991)
  • Chlorodeoxyadenosine (1992)
Plant alkaloids and antibiotics
  • Vincristine (Oncovin) (1963)
  • Actinomycin D (Cosmegen) (1964)
  • Mithramycin (Mithracin) (1970)
  • Bleomycin (Blenoxane) (1973)
  • Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) (1974)
  • Mitomycin C (Mutamycin) (1974)
  • L-Asparaginase (Elspar) (1978)
  • Daunomycin (Cerubidine) (1979)
  • VP-16-213 (Etoposide) (1983)
  • VM-26 (Teniposide) (1992)
  • Taxol (Paclitaxel) (1992)
Synthetic drugs
  • Hydroxyurea (Hydrea) (1967)
  • Procarbazine (Matulane) (1969)
  • O, P'-DDD (Lysodren, Mitotane) (1970)
  • Dacarbazine (DTIC) (1975)
  • CCNU (Lomustine) (1976)
  • BCNU (Carmustine) (1977)
  • Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (Cisplatin) (1978)
  • Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) (1988)
  • Carboplatin (Paraplatin) (1989)
  • Levamisole (Ergamisol) (1990)
  • Hexamethylmelamine (Hexalen) (1990)
  • All-trans retinoid acid (Vesanoid) (1995)
  • Porfimer sodium (Photofrin) (1995)

Hormones and steroids

  • DES (1950)
  • Prednisone (1953)
  • Fluoxymesterone (Halotestin) (1958)
  • Dromostanolone (Drolban) (1961)
  • Testolactone (Teslac) (1970)
  • Methyl prednisolone
  • Prednisolone
  • Zoladex (1989)

Biologicals

  • Alpha interferon (Intron A, Roferon-A) (1986)
  • BCG (TheraCys, TICE) (1990)
  • G-CSF (1991)
  • GM-CSF (1991)
  • Interleukin 2 (Proleukin) (1992)

In addition, scientists in the NCI played an important role in the discovery and development of important AIDS drugs including zidovudine (AZT), didanosine (ddI), and zalcitabine (ddC).

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