Tanning product could fight skin cancer
Australian biotech company Clinuvel, based in Melbourne, is investigating whether the drug CUV1647 can help fight skin cancer, according to ceo Dr Philippe Wolgen who hopes to convince regulators to license the compound.
Australian biotech company Clinuvel, based in Melbourne, is investigating whether the drug CUV1647 can help fight skin cancer, according to ceo Dr Philippe Wolgen who hopes to convince regulators to license the compound.
Trials of the drug have begun at Royal Melbourne Hospital to determine whether its claimed tanning properties could help protect transplant patients, who are the most at risk of contracting skin cancer.
"When the pill is placed under the skin it stimulates the body's production of the pigment melanin, producing a sun-blocking tan that lasts two months," said Dr Wolgen. "While the drug's tanning ability has been known since it was developed in 1995, it has not been enough to gain a regulator's approval to market the product.
"After two years of preparation we're to begin testing a treatment that is expected to prove to be a successful preventative therapy for organ transplant patients, who suffer the greatest risk from UV and sun damage."