Stealth® liposomes: from theory to product

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Abstract

The development of an effective anti-cancer liposomal formulation — doxorubicin in sterically stabilized liposomes — will be discussed. We shall argue that for many tumors the necessary condition for an effective anti-cancer activity of systemically administered liposomal doxorubicin formulation is the long circulation life of liposomes in blood and stable drug encapsulation. Theoretical basis for stabilization of liposomes in biological environments and for the stabilization of drug encapsulation will be shown. When a formulation with acceptable stability was obtained it was tested in pre-clinical models and simultaneously scaled-up and it entered into clinical studies. After successfully passing all these tests, doxorubicin in sterically stabilized liposomes (Doxil by Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) was approved by Food and Drug Administration and is commercially available since late 1995.

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    Due to their invisibility to the body's defence system sterically stabilized liposomes are often called also Stealth® liposomes (a registered trademark name of Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Menlo Park, California.

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