BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. announced positive data in a preclinical study investigating the anti-cancer activity of a novel prodrug of mebendazole for the treatment of glioblastoma. The study assessed the relative efficacy of BF-222, a novel formulation of mebendazole that has been evaluated in clinical trials, and BF-223, a novel prodrug of messendazole with improved solubility and bioavailability relative to BF-222, compared with placebo in mice that had been implanted with tumor cells as a model for human glioblastoma. animals treated with BF-223 had an average survival time of 27.9 days compared with 27.3 days for mice treated with BF-222 and 23.4 days for mice given placebo.

Mice treated with BF-223 were administered 80% of the dose that mice treated with BF-222 received, and improved outcomes for both treatment groups were statistically significant compared to placebo. In addition, animals treated with equivalent doses of BF-222 and BF-223 showed comparable and significant reduction in tumor growth compared to control animals during the study. Glioblastoma is a fast-growing and aggressive type of cancer that occurs in the brain or spinal cord.

It is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system (CNS), accounting for nearly 50% of primary malignant tumors occurring in the CNS. Treatment options include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy with the drug temozolomide, but the proggnosis for survival in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma remains poor, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%. The global glioblastoma multiforme treatment market is projected to increase from $5.1 billion in 2020 to an estimated $10.2 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8% during the forecast period, according to a report by Vision Research Reports.