Resveratrol drug trial suspended on safety concerns
Resveratrol is found naturally in grape skins and is thought to give red wine its heart protection benefits. Research into its health effects is ongoing, and much media attention has focused on the compound’s promise for treating numerous diseases and extending life expectancy. Its potential for treating multiple myeloma has been highlighted in several studies which have shown that resveratrol can kill myeloma cells bred in the laboratory.
The halted trial involved Sirtris Pharmaceuticals’ resveratrol drug, SRT501. Sirtris is a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which bought the company in 2008 for $720m. GSK stopped the trial after five of the 24 patients involved developed a kidney condition called cast nephropathy. However, the company pointed out that such an effect is common in people with multiple myeloma, so much so that cast nephropathy is also known as myeloma kidney.
Commenting on the halted trial, Bill Sardi, managing partner of Resveratrol Partners LLC and producer of the Longevinex product, said: “There should be little or no concern of toxicity among the many thousands of resveratrol dietary supplement users.”
However he added that patients taking any medication should take them separately from resveratrol.
“Without greater transparency as to the suspected cause of the safety problem, consumers are left to guess whether it was the drug, resveratrol, or their combination that prompted the study to be closed down,” Sardi said.
No one from Sirtris Pharmaceuticals responded to a request for comment prior to publication.
The trial had been expected to run until December and involve up to 61 patients. It was intended to test the effectiveness of SRT501 as a stand alone treatment for multiple myeloma, as well as in conjunction with a cancer drug Velcade (bortezomib).
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals’ resveratrol drug has already been tested in three other clinical trials for diabetes treatment, all of which have been completed.
