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Photofrin (porfimer)
Photofrin (porfimer) is a photoactivated radical generator, a small molecule drug class, originally developed and currently owned by Concordia Labs Inc. It was FDA-approved in 1995 for the treatment of various cancers, including esophageal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and high-grade dysplasia associated with Barrett's esophagus. Photofrin works by generating free radicals when exposed to light, which then kill cancer cells. It is off-patent and has no generic manufacturers. Key safety considerations include its long half-life of 410 hours and low bioavailability of 0%.
At a glance
| Generic name | porfimer |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Concordia Labs Inc |
| Drug class | Photoactivated Radical Generator |
| Therapeutic area | Oncology |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
| First approval | 1995 |
Approved indications
- Endoscopic Photodynamic Ablation Adjunct for Cancer or High Grade Dysplasia
- High Grade Dysplasia associated with Barrett's Esophagus
- Malignant tumor of esophagus
- Non-small cell lung cancer
Common side effects
- Photosensitivity reaction
- Pleural effusion
- Dyspnea
- Pneumonia
- Pyrexia
- Anemia
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Chest pain
- Edema
Key clinical trials
- Light Dosimetry for Photodynamic Therapy With Porfimer Sodium in Treating Participants With Malignant Mesothelioma or Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Pleural Disease Undergoing Surgery (PHASE1)
- Intrapleural Photodynamic Therapy in a Multimodal Treatment for Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (PHASE2)
- Photodynamic Therapy to Amplify the Response to Immunotherapy in Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Pleural Disease (PHASE1)
- Phase II Trial of Radical Pleurectomy With or Without Intraoperative PDT for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (PHASE2)
- Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Lung Cancer (PHASE1,PHASE2)
- Porfimer Sodium Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy With or Without Standard of Care Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer (PHASE1)
- Afamelanotide as Adjunctive Therapy in Patients Undergoing Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Utilising Porfimer Sodium (PHASE2)
- Novel Light Delivery Methods for Lung Cancer Photodynamic Therapy - A Pilot Study (EARLY_PHASE1)
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| FDA label | Mechanism, indications, dosing, boxed warnings, drug interactions |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Trial enrolment, design, endpoints, results |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Photofrin CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Photofrin updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Concordia Labs Inc portfolio CI