Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek spoke about the development of a Kazakh-developed cancer drug. He said the drug is still undergoing trials.
«We plan to register the drug before the end of the year. I think we will hold a separate briefing in September following the completion of clinical trials at oncology centers in Karaganda, Almaty and Astana. I had expected we would do it earlier, but the clinical trials are still ongoing. As soon as they are completed, we will apply for registration,» the minister said at a government briefing.
He added that the first stage of the trials was conducted in Almaty on patients with colon cancer.
«Metastasis and tumor spread were reduced by 30%. At the second stage, the dosage will need to be determined and the treatment tested on other types of cancer. The dosage used in the first stage was minimal,» Nurbek said.
Context
Previously, Kursiv.media reported that researchers from the National Laboratory Astana and the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology in Almaty were jointly working to determine the maximum tolerated dose of DVC, a domestically produced cancer treatment drug. For this purpose, the scientists selected cancer-ill patients who met specific criteria to receive up to 36 injections of the drug in gradually increasing doses.
In mid-2025, Nurbek said Kazakhstan would complete the development and registration of its first domestically developed cancer drug by the end of the year. However, it is still not ready.
