Denileukin diftitox

Denileukin diftitox

Systematic (IUPAC) name
Diphtheria toxin-Interleukin-2 fusion protein
Clinical data
Trade names	Ontak
AHFS/Drugs.com	monograph
MedlinePlus	a611024
Pregnancy cat.	C (US)
Legal status	℞-only (US)
Routes	Intravenous
Pharmacokinetic data
Half-life	70-80 min
Identifiers
CAS number	173146-27-5 Y
ATC code	L01XX29
DrugBank	DB00004
UNII	25E79B5CTM N
ChEMBL	CHEMBL1201550 N
Chemical data
Formula	C2560H4042N678O799S17
Mol. mass	57647.3 g/mol
N (what is this?)  (verify)

Denileukin diftitox (trade name Ontak) is an antineoplastic agent, an engineered protein combining Interleukin-2 and Diphtheria toxin. This can bind to Interleukin-2 receptors^[1] and introduce the diphtheria toxin into cells that express those receptors, killing the cells. In some Leukemias and Lymphomas malignant cells express these receptors, so denileukin diftitox can target these.

In 1999 Ontak was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).^[2]

A recent study at the University of Louisville found the drug caused many stage IV cutaneous T-cell lympomas to regress or stabilize extending patient life expectancy from about eight months to more than a year; a clinically significant increase especially given the guarded prognosis of patients with advanced disseminated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and the generally poor response to other available treatments.

There is some evidence tying it to vision loss.^[3]

References

External links

• FDA Safety Alert