Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil)
Doxil was the first nanomedicine approved in the US, in 1995. It carries the cancer drug doxorubicin inside liposomes, tiny coated fat bubbles that stay in the blood longer and tend to collect in tumors.
Barenholz, Journal of Controlled Release, 2012How far from your life: You can get it now, though it may not be common yet.
Independently sourcedFrom lab to your life
Why it’s on step 4
- 1Lab discovery
- 2Working prototype
- 3Real-world testing
- 4Approved or on sale
- 5Everyday life
The rule
A regulator approved or cleared it where approval applies (the FDA, the EMA, a CE mark), or it is sold to the public or to customers beyond a trial.
- The FDA approved the first generic version of Doxil, which was on its drug shortage list, to help relieve shortages of the brand-name medicine. HealthDay, 4 Feb 2013
- The FDA approved Doxil, the first nanomedicine approved in the US. Barenholz, Journal of Controlled Release, 2012
The short version
What you need to know
- Is it really nano?
Truly nano
The drug rides inside nano-sized liposomes; that carrier is what changes where the drug goes in the body.
Barenholz, Journal of Controlled Release, 2012- Where you’ll find it
Used in cancer treatment; a cheaper generic version has been approved in the US since 2013.
HealthDay, 4 Feb 2013- Who’s behind it
First approved in 1995; generic versions since 2013
On the record
Every step, dated
Newest first. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself.
- Approval
The FDA approved the first generic version of Doxil, which was on its drug shortage list, to help relieve shortages of the brand-name medicine.
HealthDay, 4 Feb 2013 - Approval
The FDA approved Doxil, the first nanomedicine approved in the US.
Barenholz, Journal of Controlled Release, 2012
Sources
Where every line comes from
Each source with the passage, word for word, that backs what we wrote.
- Barenholz, Journal of Controlled Release, 2012
Due to the EPR effect, Doxil is passively targeted to tumors
- HealthDay, 4 Feb 2013
The first generic version of the cancer drug Doxil
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