Kazakhstan’s domestically developed cancer drug DVC is currently undergoing the second stage of clinical trials involving people and is being prepared for registration, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek said at a government briefing.
If all procedures are completed on schedule, the drug could be registered in Kazakhstan as early as next year.
«At this stage, we are determining the dosage and assessing the body’s response to higher and lower doses. We will try to complete all these trials by the end of the year and apply for the drug’s preregistration,» the minister said.
Once the trials are completed, the results will undergo expert review. The drug can then be submitted for state registration. Nurbek noted that the developers are now at the second-to-last stage before registration.
Initially, the drug is expected to be registered for use in Kazakhstan and other Eurasian Economic Union countries. Entering other markets will require separate registration under the regulations of each country.
The drug had previously been expected to be registered by the end of 2025, but that did not happen, so further delays cannot be ruled out.
Details
Clinical trials involving people for the domestically developed DVC drug began in March 2026. Earlier, the developers reported successful preclinical trial results in animals.
In May, Nurbek said that the first stage of clinical trials involving people had been completed. According to him, all trial participants survived, while about 30% showed a reduction in tumor size.
Specialists are currently determining the optimal drug dosage and assessing patients’ responses to different doses.
For now, only clinical trials are underway. Before registration, the drug must undergo the required procedures to assess its safety, quality and efficacy.
