The MDS Beacon™

Results of a recent Phase 2 clinical trial suggest that a combination of Vidaza, valproic acid, and tretinoin is effective in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.  However, the researchers noted that the addition of tretinoin did not appear to have any significant clinical benefit over two-drug combination therapies that include Vidaza.

Currently, treatment options for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are limited. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three drugs for the treatment of MDS: Revlimid (lenalidomide), Vidaza (azacitidine), and Dacogen (decitabine).…

A combination therapy of Vidaza (azacitidine) and valproic acid (Depakene) may be more effective than Vidaza alone for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to a Phase 2 study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Valproic acid is commonly used to reduce seizures in epilepsy patients and to treat bipolar disorder. It has recently become of interest as a possible treatment for blood- and bone marrow-related cancers like MDS.

Previous studies have shown that two classes of drugs, hypomethylating agents, which include Vidaza, and histone deacetylase inhibitors, which…