Glioblastoma Treatments: An Account of Recent Industrial Developments

Abstract

The different drugs and medical devices, which are commercialized or under industrial development for glioblastoma treatment, are reviewed. Their different modes of action are analyzed with a distinction being made between the effects of radiation, the targeting of specific parts of glioma cells, and immunotherapy. Most of them are still at a too early stage of development to firmly conclude about their efficacy. Optune, which triggers antitumor activity by blocking the mitosis of glioma cells under the application of an alternating electric field, seems to be the only recently developed therapy with some efficacy reported on a large number of GBM patients. The need for early GBM diagnosis is emphasized since it could enable the treatment of GBM tumors of small sizes, possibly easier to eradicate than larger tumors. Ways to improve clinical protocols by strengthening preclinical studies using of a broader range of different animal and tumor models are also underlined. Issues related with efficient drug delivery and crossing of blood brain barrier are discussed. Finally societal and economic aspects are described with a presentation of the orphan drug status that can accelerate the development of GBM therapies, patents protecting various GBM treatments, the different actors tackling GBM disease, the cost of GBM treatments, GBM market figures, and a financial analysis of the different companies involved in the development of GBM therapies.

Keywords: brain cancer; drug development; industry; market; preclinical model.

Figure 1

A schematic diagram presenting the different GBM treatments relying on chemical and immunological mechanisms. These treatments are classified as drugs, since their dominant mode of action is immunological, metabolic, or pharmacological. GBM drugs with their associated mode of action are listed.

Figure 2

A schematic diagram presenting the different GBM treatments relying on physical mechanisms. These treatments (except Cotara and KU-60019) are classified as medical devices, since their dominant mode of action is not immunological, metabolic, or pharmacological. These GBM treatments with their associated mode of action are listed.

Figure 3

Patents submitted by the various companies developing or commercializing GBM treatments. On the one hand, since the GBM treatment name is often not mentioned in patents, it is possible that the number of patents is underestimated in some cases. On the other hand, since some of the listed patents have a broad scope, it may happen that they only partly cover the field of a specific GBM treatment, possibly leading to an overestimate in the number of patents in some cases.

Figure 4

A schematic diagram presenting the GBM community fighting against GBM, at the heart of which lie the patients.