Buying time with batimastat

Abstract

Batimastat represents a curious departure in anticancer therapy since it does not kill the cancer cells, but rather impedes their progress. Accordingly, it may have promise as a management tool that will buy time for other interventions. Phase I/II trials of the drug have shown that it is safe, and have also indicated efficacy in controlling cancer progression. Now, British Biotechnology and its collaborators are setting out to repeat the results on a larger scale. They also hope to elucidate the drug’s mechanism.