This Lung Cancer Drug May Not Be What It Seems, Chemists Say

An experimental cancer drug may not work the way its manufacturer says it does , a new report claims. The drug, called antroquinonol, is currently being given to people with non-small-cell lung cancer who are enrolled in clinical trials taking place in the U.S. and Taiwan. It’s critically important to know what a drug’s active ingredient is, in order to manufacture it consistently and in order to make future improvements to it. So a study like this one, if it proves reproducible, is at best a wrinkle and at worst a roadblock on the path to a new FDA-approved lung cancer drug. This study is also another reminder of just how important chemistry is to making new medicines.