The use of copper-lowering therapy with tetrathiomolybdate in medicine

Abstract

Background: Tetrathiomolybdate (TM), an anticopper drug, has been developed for the neurologic presentation of Wilson's disease. In animal models, lowering copper levels with TM produces antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, antiautoimmune, and anticancer effects, thought to be due to inhibition of many cytokines that are dependent on available copper for their activity. Clinical testing has been done relatively extensively in Wilson's disease and advanced cancers, but remains in its infancy in other diseases.

Objectives: To review current preclinical and clinical studies done with TM, and our current knowledge of TM efficacy and toxicity.

Methods: We have reviewed the last 10 years of literature on TM therapy.

Results/conclusion: TM has excellent efficacy and acceptable toxicity for the initial treatment of neurologically presenting Wilson's disease. TM has excellent efficacy in animal models of fibrotic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases, as well as Alzheimer's disease models.