美国国家公共电台 NPR A Pinworm Medication Is Being Tested As A Potential Anti-Cancer Drug

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

In Your Health on this Monday morning, cancer researchers are testing whether a cheap, safe drug that's been used for more than 40 years to treat parasitic¹ infections might also help to fight cancer. The research is part of a growing movement to take a fresh look at old medicines to see if they have new uses. And NPR's Allison Aubrey has more.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE²: I happened to come across this drug called mebendazole several years back. My son came home from summer camp with this gross infection - pinworms. These are tiny, staple-sized worms that infect the intestines³. They make kids feel itchy and uncomfortable. My pediatrician prescribed mebendazole, a cheap, generic⁴ drug. Two weeks later, the infection was gone.

Now flash forward a couple of years, and I was stunned⁵ to find on a research website, clinicaltrials.gov, that the same medicine, mebendazole, was being investigated as a cancer drug. Curious, I reached out to Greg Riggins at Johns Hopkins University. He's a cancer researcher there. He's testing the mebendazole in brain cancer patients, and he invited me to Baltimore to talk about it.

GREG RIGGINS: Here is the laboratory.

AUBREY: Tell me where we're standing⁶, what we have in front of us.

RIGGINS: So we have cages of mice. These are our cancer research mice.

AUBREY: A few years back, something extraordinary happened here. Some of the lab animals got pinworm, the same thing my son had, and the veterinarian at Hopkins treated the whole colony of mice with the animal version of mebendazole. The drug staved off the parasite⁸, but it also did something else. Now remember, these are lab mice that are used for experiments. Researchers had implanted cancer cells from a tumor⁹ called medulloblastoma into the animals' brains. But after they got the pinworm drug, the cancers never developed.

RIGGINS: Our medulloblastoma stops growing.

AUBREY: This was completely unexpected.

RIGGINS: We were surprised.

AUBREY: But after doing some research, Riggins realized he was not the first to see the anti-cancer properties of mebendazole. There were already researchers who were doing animal studies to see if the drug worked against lung cancer and melanoma. So Riggins decided¹⁰ to take his research to the next level - in people. He got funding to do a study to see of mebendazole might help people with glioblastoma, one of the most common and aggressive brain cancers. Phase one of the trial has wrapped up, and he has some initial results.

RIGGINS: The data, to me, looks as good as it could get for a phase-1 trial.

AUBREY: Now, mebendazole is not a miracle cure. But Riggins says the drug seems to interfere¹¹ with cancer cells in a variety of ways. For example, it disrupts the development of blood vessels¹², which can starve tumors of the blood supply they need to thrive. So he says the next phase of this trial will be to find out if the drug can actually buy very sick patients more time.

RIGGINS: The odds¹³ would favor that it is increasing survival.

AUBREY: He stresses the initial data are preliminary. But Riggins says what he has learned about mebendazole has made him think it might have another role to play in fighting cancer. For example, it's possible it could help prevent the development of certain tumors. He is studying a hereditary¹⁴ form of colon⁷ cancer. He's already published a study showing mebendazole has a preventive effect in lab animals. Now he's planning a study to test this in people at high risk.

RIGGINS: If you can prevent a cancer, you don't have to worry about, you know, the heroic efforts to try to cure it. I mean, a cancer that never happens is the best kind of cancer.

AUBREY: In addition to the trials in Baltimore, other labs around the country and in Mexico are studying the potential of mebendazole to prevent or treat other cancers. And Bruce Bloom, who is the president and chief science officer of a group called Cures within Reach, which helps to fund the research, says he has proposals for more studies sitting on his desk.

BRUCE BLOOM: We're very optimistic that mebendazole has a potent¹⁵ anti-cancer mechanism¹⁶.

AUBREY: And it certainly isn't the only existing drug that could be repurposed to fight cancer and other diseases.

BLOOM: It's amazing how many inexpensive drugs that have been around for 25 years or more, like mebendazole, have so many other opportunities to help unsolved disease patients.

AUBREY: Bloom points to research on the diabetes¹⁷ drug metformin and the heart medication propranolol as well as mebendazole.

BLOOM: It's not likely that mebendazole or any other single repurposed drug is ever going to cure cancer. But each one of them combined with other repurposed drugs can create a cocktail¹⁸ that helps the body to manage cancer.

AUBREY: In other words, the idea is to help buy people more time. He says considering it can cost a billion dollars to develop a new drug, repurposing existing drugs may help bring therapies to patients more quickly and affordably - at least that's the hope.

INSKEEP: And we've been listening to NPR's Allison Aubrey who's in our studios to continue the discussion about Your Health.

And Allison, wow. This makes me want to go rummage¹⁹ around in the medicine chest to see if there's some old prescription²⁰ bottle we can repurpose for something new.

AUBREY: Right. There's a lot of optimism here, Steve. But I have to say there's a big concern with mebendazole, too. You heard Dr. Riggins say it's this affordable²¹ drug around the globe.

INSKEEP: Yeah.

AUBREY: And it is. You can walk into a pharmacy²² in Mexico or in Brazil. You can buy it over the counter for a few bucks²³. And that used to be true here. When my son had pinworms, the cost of mebendazole in the U.S. was $3 a pill. Now - $369 a pill.

INSKEEP: The very same drug is more than 100 times more. Why is that fair?

AUBREY: The very same drug. So remember, the cancer research is very preliminary. This drug is intended for use as a pinworm drug, right? Now back in 2011, the company that made this drug, Teva, decided to pull it from the market. They decided not to sell it anymore. It actually went off the market for a few years, then the drug changed hands a couple of times.

So I reached out to this company called Impax Laboratories. They're the company that acquired mebendazole. And I said - what is going on here? You know, this drug is $3 around the globe. How can you be charging $369 for it? And they basically said to me - look, we spent millions of dollars acquiring the drug from Teva. We had to go through an approval process, so that's what the price is.

INSKEEP: Three sixty-nine.

Allison, thanks very much.

AUBREY: Thanks very much, Steve.

INSKEEP: That's Your Health - NPR's Allison Aubrey.

1 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

4 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

5 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

8 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

9 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

12 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

14 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

15 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

16 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

17 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

18 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

19 rummage   

v./n.翻寻，仔细检查

参考例句：

• He had a good rummage inside the sofa.他把沙发内部彻底搜寻了一翻。
• The old lady began to rummage in her pocket for her spectacles.老太太开始在口袋里摸索，找她的眼镜。

20 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

21 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

22 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

23 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》