Exelixis applies for approval of cancer treatment innovation

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. Exelixis has filed an approval application with the Food and Drug Administration for the cancer-treating compound XL888, the biotech announced Thursday.

The drug is designed to inhibit the chaperone protein HSP90, which helps tumors grow and survive.

“Natural product-based inhibitors of HSP90 are currently in clinical trials and have shown encouraging signs of efficacy, but their utility has been limited by poor pharmacokinetic properties and by their side effect profiles,” Exelixis executive vice president and chief medical officer Gisela Schwab said.