What kind of drug is rubicatin and can it treat small cell lung cancer?

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a rapidly progressive, aggressively metastatic, and fatal subtype of lung cancer. Unfortunately, there has been little progress in the development of new treatments for small cell lung cancer. Lurbinectedin, a transcription inhibitor, has emerged as a potential new cancer treatment. It produces anti-tumor effects by inhibiting oncogenic transcriptional activity, inducing the accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks and modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Data fromPhase I/II trials indicate that rubicatin has significant anti-tumor efficacy and tolerable side effects in patients with small cell lung cancer. In addition, rubicatin is effective in patients with platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant SCLC, as well as in patients with SCLC who have relapsed after second-line treatment. In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rubicatin for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer who may have received platinum-based chemotherapy.

Rubicardine is a marine compound isolated from ascidiansAn analog of ET-736. Rubicatin was approved under accelerated approval based on demonstrated overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR) in an open-label single-agent clinical trial. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent on verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. Rubicatin is given by intravenous infusion over 60 minutes, usually every 21 days. Premedication with corticosteroids (eg, dexamethasone) and serotonin antagonists (eg, ondansetron) may be considered to prevent nausea and vomiting. Common side effects include fatigue, anemia, nausea, decreased appetite, musculoskeletal pain, constipation, dyspnea, vomiting, cough and diarrhea.