NOVEL BENZENESULFONAMIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT PLEURAL EFFUSIONS

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a novel pharmaceutical composition for treating a malignant pleural effusion (MPE), including a benzenesulfonamide derivative and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. The present disclosure further provides a method for treating MPE by using the pharmaceutical composition.

Claims

1. A pharmaceutical composition for treating a malignant pleural effusion (MPE), comprising a benzenesulfonamide derivative and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient thereof.

2. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1, wherein the benzenesulfonamide derivative is a compound represented by formula (I): ##STR00003## wherein R.sub.1 to R.sub.6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C6 linear or branched alkyl, C1-C6 linear or branched alkoxy, amino, halo, halo-substituted C1-C6 linear or branched alkyl, and sulfonamide group.

3. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 2, wherein the compound of formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of p-toluenesulfonamide, o-toluenesulfonamide, N-ethyl-p-toluene sulfonamide, N-ethyl-o-toluene sulfonamide, N-cyclohexyl-p-toluene sulfonamide and a combination thereof.

4. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1, wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable excipient is selected from the group consisting of a filler, a binder, a preservative, a disintegrating agent, a lubricant, a suspending agent, a wetting agent, a solvent, a surfactant, an acid, a flavoring agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG), alkylene glycol, sebacic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide, alcohol and a combination thereof.

5. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1, wherein the benzenesulfonamide derivative is present in an amount ranging from about 10% to about 50% by weight.

6. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 5, comprising 20% to 40% by weight of the benzenesulfonamide derivative.

7. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 5, further comprising at least one of 10%-40% by weight of PEG-400, 5%-10% by weight of 1,2-propylene glycol, 1%-5% by weight of sebacic acid, 10%-20% by weight of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 0%-10% by weight of dimethyl sulfoxide and 0%-10% by weight of ethanol.

8. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1, being in a form suitable for parenteral administration, injection, continuous perfusion, sublingual administration, subcutaneous administration or oral administration.

9. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1, being in a form selected from the group consisting of a injection formulation, dry powder, a tablet, oral liquid, a wafer, a film, a lozenge, a capsule, granule, and a pill.

10. A method for treating a malignant pleural effusion (MPE), comprising administering the pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 to a subject in need thereof.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the benzenesulfonamide derivative in the pharmaceutical composition is administered to the subject in a therapeutically effective amount of from about 825 mg to about 6600 mg per day.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the benzenesulfonamide derivative in the pharmaceutical composition is administered to the subject in a therapeutically effective amount of from about 990 mg to about 2640 mg per day.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the benzenesulfonamide derivative in the pharmaceutical composition is administered to the subject in a therapeutically effective amount of from about 1000 mg to about 1800 mg per day.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the therapeutically effective amount of the benzenesulfonamide derivative administered to the subject during the treatment is in a range of from about 2475 mg to about 27000 mg.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered to the subject intratumorally, intravenously, subcutaneously, intradermally, orally, intrathecally, intraperitoneally, intranasally, intramuscularly, intrapleuraly, or through nebulization.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the subject is suffering from cancer.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cancer is at least one selected from the group consisting of lung cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and mesothelioma.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising administering at least one additional malignant pleural effusion (MPE) therapy to the subject.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the additional MPE therapy is chest drainage, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), intrathoracic administration, pleural fixation, whole body chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or thermal therapy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The following examples are used to exemplify the present disclosure. A person of ordinary skills in the art can understand the other advantages of the present disclosure, based on the disclosure of the specification of the present disclosure. The present disclosure can also be implemented or applied as described in different specific examples. It is possible to modify and or alter the examples for carrying out this disclosure without contravening its spirit and scope, for different aspects and applications.

[0023] It is further noted that, as used in this specification, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. The term “or” is used interchangeably with the term “and/or” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0024] The present disclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of benzenesulfonamides as a medicament for MPE and also provides a process for preparing the above composition and a treatment method using the composition.

[0025] The pharmaceutical composition of benzenesulfonamides for treating MPE comprises, for example, p-toluenesulfonamide or o-toluenesulfonamide, N-ethyl-p-toluene sulfonamide, N-ethyl-o-toluene sulfonamide, N-cyclohexyl-p-toluene sulfonamide, or other toluenesulfonamides or a combination of two or more in any ratio of different toluenesulfonamides. The monomer of each benzenesulfonamide is in white crystal form.

[0026] The benzenesulfonamides may be represented by the following formula (I):

##STR00002##

[0027] wherein R.sub.1-R.sub.6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C6 linear or branched alkyl, C1-C6 linear or branched alkoxy, amino, halo, halo-substituted C1-C6 linear or branched alkyl, and sulfonamide group. Preferably, R.sub.1-R.sub.6 are each independently H, methyl or ethyl.

[0028] The pharmaceutically acceptable excipient included in the pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure may be conventional pharmaceutical carriers, such as filler, binder, preservative, disintegrating agent, lubricant, suspending agent, wetting agent, solvent, surfactant, acids and flavoring agent.

[0029] The binders that are suitable for use in the present disclosure may be starch paste, sorbitol, guar gum, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose derivatives such as hydroxy propylmethyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, carbomer (commercially available as carbopols) etc.

[0030] The preservatives suitable for use in the present disclosure may be sodium benzoate, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, cresols, etc.

[0031] The lubricants that are suitable for use in the present disclosure may be metallic stearates such as magnesium, calcium and sodium stearates, stearic acid, talc, polyethylene glycols, soluble salts such as sodium chloride, sodium benzoate etc.

[0032] The wetting agents that are suitable for use in the present disclosure may be glycerol, sorbitol, polypropylene glycol etc.

[0033] The flavoring agents that are suitable for use in the present disclosure may be peppermint oil, menthol, lemon oil, orange oil, and cinnamon oil.

[0034] Preferably, the pharmaceutically acceptable excipient may be polyethylene glycol (PEG), alkylene glycol, sebacic acid, and/or dimethyl sulfoxide, alcohols. More preferably, the pharmaceutical compositions may comprise the following parts by weight:

[0035] Pharmaceutical Composition of Benzenesulfonamides (GNW-601)

TABLE-US-00001 p-toluenesulfonamide 10%-50% PEG-400 10%-40% 1,2-propylene glycol 5%-10% Sebacic acid 1%-5% p-toluenesulfonic acid 0%-15% 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol 10%-20% Dimethyl sulfoxide 0-10% Ethanol 0-10%

[0036] The present disclosure also provides the process for the preparation of pharmaceutical composition.

[0037] The process includes: adding and mixing the solvents and adjuvants in a given ratio; heating the mixture to 80° C. to 110° C. with stirring to form a clear oily liquid; gradually adding the sulfa drug with stirring until completely dissolved; filtering and cooling the mixture to obtain the composition of the present disclosure in an oily liquid form (GNW-601).

[0038] The process for preparing the injection formulation of GNW-601 may be carried out based on the technique known in the art, for example, by adding adjuvants or and solvents, and further adjusting the mixture to isotonic condition. For example, microporous filters can be used for the step of filtering in the process.

[0039] The pharmaceutical composition of benzenesulfonamides may be formulated into a form suitable for parenteral administration, injection, continuous perfusion, sublingual administration, subcutaneous administration or oral administration. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pharmaceutical composition may be in a form selected from the group consisting of a formulated to injection, dry powders, tablets, oral liquid, wafers, films, lozenges, capsules, granule, and pill.

[0040] For example, GNW-601 for treating MPE can be a solution form and administered to a subject by intramuscular or intrapleural injection or by oral or other routes. GNW-601 also can be other formulation for the oral administration as a medicament for treating MPE. The intrapleural injection dosage for MPE treatment is 3-8 mL/injection (about 990-2640 mg of p-toluenesulfonamide).

[0041] The injection dosage for MPE treatment in an adult can be in a range of from about 800 mg to 7,000 mg, such as 825 mg to 6,600 mg, 990 mg to 2,640 mg and 1000 mg to 1800 mg of p-toluenesulfonamide or other benzenesulfonamides.

[0042] During the MPE treatment, the therapeutically effective amount of p-toluenesulfonamide or other benzenesulfonamides administered to a subject can be in a range of from about 2475 mg to about 27000 mg.

[0043] The present disclosure provides the use of GNW-601 as a medicament for treating MPE.

[0044] By the long-term clinical trials, it is proven that the pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure can improve the clinical symptoms and the life quality of MPE patients. The pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure is preferably a targeted prescription with the efficacy to the best performance compared to current available medications for treating MPE.

EXAMPLE

[0045] Efficacy of MPE treatment by the present disclosure is evaluated in the clinical trials as follows.

Experimental Example 1

[0046] The clinical trial was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College from 1992 to 1999. Total 46 cases with MPE were enrolled, there were 16 male and 30 female, aged from 19 to 83 years, and their average age was 54.80±11.62 years. There were 22 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 18 cases of lung adenocarcinoma, 3 cases of pleural metastasis in breast cancer, and 3 cases of pleural metastasis from primary liver cancer based on histology examination.

[0047] Diagnostic criteria: A. patients with advanced cancer, breathing difficulties, chest tightness, and flatness by auscultation, B. chest radiography, B-mode ultrasound, CT scan confirmed MPE, C. pleural effusion, histopathological or cytological examination revealed malignant cells, D. exclusion of other causes of pleural effusion.

[0048] Inclusion criteria: A. at least one imaging (CT, X ray, or B-mode ultrasound) showing the quantity of MPE, B. confirmed MPE by histological or cytological diagnosis, C. normal functions of liver, kidney, and blood, D. no interstitial pneumonia or pulmonary fibrosis, E. informed consent forms signed by patients or their family members.

[0049] Exclusion criteria: A. end-stage patients with cachexia and severe hypoalbuminemia; unable to complete the treatment, B. basal treatment combined with other anti-cancer therapies, C. other causes of pleural effusions such as infections or cardiopathy, D. pregnant women, or mental disorders, or those not following the treatment scheme.

[0050] Meeting at least one of the following criteria should be withdrawn from the clinical trial: A. rapidly deterioration or death during trial, B. patient condition or patient himself requesting stop of treatment before completion of a treatment course, C. those poorly complying with scale fill, D. not meeting inclusion criteria after enrollment.

[0051] Treatment methods: before GNW-601 administration, remove MPE was performed with the intrapleural injection needle one or two times (800-1400 mL per day) when necessary. GNW-601 was intrapleuraly injected 3-8 mL (about 990-2,640 mg of p-toluenesulfonamide). The pleural effusion suction and GNW-601 injection process was repeated when the effusion grew back to significant amount again for some of the patients.

[0052] Response evaluation criteria:

[0053] CT, X ray, or B-mode ultrasound examinations were performed before and after the administrations. Complete response (CR): pleural effusion completely disappeared; partial response (PR): pleural effusion significantly reduced (≧50% reduction); stable disease (SD): pleural effusion decreased without increasing trend; progress disease (PD): no reduction or increase in pleural effusion. The total efficacy: CR+PR.

[0054] Clinical evaluation included guiding patients to fill in case report forms based on the severity of symptoms (dyspnea, cough, chest pain, weight loss, coughing up blood and sputum, lassitude, loss of appetite, etc.)

[0055] Adverse reactions were reported according to the grading standards of common adverse reactions of CTCAE grading (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events).

[0056] Observation methods:

[0057] Outcome measures included: A. general recording items, B. relieved conditions of pleural effusion verified by CT, X ray, or B-mode ultrasound, C. the changes in the life quality, D. adverse reactions.

[0058] The following results were revealed in 46 patients:

[0059] Term effects: complete response (CR) 24 cases, partial response (PR) 9 cases, stable disease (SD) 7 cases, progress disease (PD) 6 cases; the total efficacy is 71.7% (33/46).

[0060] Adverse reactions: Main side effects included drowsiness, fatigue and loss of appetite. Ten patients had fever (37.5° C. to 38° C.). All symptoms disappeared within 12 hours. None of the usual side effects, such as pain, nausea and hair loss, was observed. There were no observed abnormalities in hematology and renal functions during and after treatment.

[0061] Conclusions: The pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure can treat MPE, and improves the life quality and clinical symptoms of MPE patients. No significant increase in adverse reactions was observed.

Experimental Example 2

[0062] The clinical trial was conducted at Beijing Cancer Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, and The People's Hospital of GaoZhou, from June 2005 to May 2007. Total 26 patients with MPE were enrolled, there were 12 male and 14 female, aged from 42 to 89 years, and their average age was 64 years. This trial followed the Declaration of Helsinki (Rev. 1996) and the relevant ethics principles in Good Clinical Practice, and execute relevant provisions of SFDA. This protocol was executed after approved by the Ethics Committee.

[0063] Inclusion criteria: A. patients with MPE clearly diagnosed by histologic examination (clear cytological diagnosis for subjects with MPE), B. patients aged 18-75 years, C. for females, they must be menopause for 1 year or have surgical sterilization; or abstinence or have their partner contraception; or adopt oral, implanted or injected contraceptives or other permitted contraceptives (including intrauterine device, female condom, diaphragm with spermicide, cervical cap, or condom for their partners); women of child-bearing age must have negative pregnancy test result when enrolled, D. ECOG score of 0 to 3, E. life expectancy is more than 3 months, F. able to tolerate local drug injection, G. Sufficient function in bone marrow, kidney and liver (White blood count (WBC) ≧3000/mm.sup.3; Platelet count ≧75,000/mm.sup.3; Serum creatinine ≧2.0 mg/dL, or creatinine clearance ≧60 mL/min; Total bilirubin ≧2.0 mg/dL; SGOT and SGPT ≧2.5× ULN; Alkaline phosphatase ≧5× ULN), H. HIV test must be negative, G. able to understand and comply with the protocol, and sign the Informed Consent Form.

[0064] Exclusion criteria: A. there is any important structure such as blood vessels or nerves around the lesions so that it is not suitable for local injection, B. patients with small cell lung cancer, C. patients with serious concomitant disease, including active and uncontrollable infection or serious cardiac, hepatic, renal or hematological failure, D. pregnant or breast lactating female, E. known allergy to the treating drugs in the trial or relevant compounds, F. patient who had received systemic anti-tumor treatment for malignant tumor within 4 weeks before enrollment, or who had received Nitrosourea or Mitomycin-C for systemic treatment within 6 weeks, G. patients who had participate in other clinical trial with unapproved test drug or methods within 4 weeks before enrollment, H. patients with history of other malignant tumors, unless it is cured and stay relieved for more than 2 years, I. patients with history of homo-transplantation or hetero-transplantation, J. patients received radiotherapy for local disease within 4 weeks before enrollment, K. patients with any other life-threatening complications, L. patients are unwilling to comply with the procedures stipulated in the protocol, or unwilling to completely cooperate with investigator, M. other reasonable exclusion criteria considered by investigator.

[0065] Meeting at least one of the following criteria should be withdrawn from the clinical trial: A. after the treatment of at least 2 weeks, imaging examination shows most MPE obviously disappeared or patients with extensive pleural adhesion, B. patients are intolerable adverse events or serious adverse events, C. the subject asks for withdrawal, D. required by sponsor, E. treatment duration reaches 6 weeks, F. other reasons considered by the investigator.

[0066] Treatment methods: after routine preoperative preparation and local anesthesia, the effusion was drawn out through transthoracic puncture guided by B-mode ultrasound. After the drainage of pleural effusion (as thoroughly as possible), the original needle was retained for perfusing drug into pleural cavity with a new syringe with GNW-601. The patients were advised to lie on the back after drug perfusion into pleural cavity, and assisted to rotate to make the drug distributed uniformly within the pleural cavity (at least once every 30 minutes). GNW-601 was intrapleuraly injected 2.5-20 mL per daily injection (about 825-6,600 mg of p-toluenesulfonamide), 7.5-90 mL in total during the whole treatment period. Patients were conducted for 2-8 times of injections within 1-24 days with the interval 1-13 days.

[0067] Response evaluation criteria:

[0068] During screening period, withdrawal period and/or follow-up period, the imaging examination (B-mode ultrasound, CT, or chest radiography and other appropriate imaging evaluation methods) was performed to evaluate the volume of pleural effusion. The response was evaluated based on effusion volume. Complete response (CR): disappearance of pleural effusion; partial response (PR): at least >50% decrease in pleural effusion, compared to baseline; stable disease (SD): neither sufficient decrease to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for PD, compares to the pleural effusion at baseline; progress disease (PD): at least >25% increase in pleural effusion, compared to baseline. The total efficacy: CR+PR.

[0069] Outcome measures included: A. relieved conditions of pleural effusion (the volume of pleural effusion measured by B-mode ultrasound, CT, or chest radiography and other appropriate imaging evaluation methods), B. adverse reactions. Adverse reactions were reported according to the grading standards of common adverse reactions of CTCAE grading (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events).

[0070] Treatment results: the following results were revealed in 23 out of 26 total enrolled patients (relieved conditions of pleural effusion in 3 patients not determined):

[0071] Term effects: complete response (CR) 0 case, partial response (PR) 21 cases, stable disease (SD) 1 case, progress disease (PD) 1 case; the total efficacy is 95.65% (22/23).

[0072] Adverse reactions: main side effects included chest pain (5/26, 19.23%), chest distress (3/26, 11.53%), dizziness (2/26, 7.69%), and palpitations (2/26, 7.69%).

[0073] Conclusions: The pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure can treat MPE patients. No significant increase in adverse reactions was observed.