The 66th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference is being held from 26th to 30th of September 2022 in Vienna, Austria. Stella Pharma presented the brief history of the company and overview of Steboronine®, our drug for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) at a side event session “Advances in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy” presided by the Japanese government in the afternoon of September 26th (CEST).
The session mainly spotlighted the recent development of accelerator-based neutron technologies as well as the drug for BNCT. In 2020, BNCT was approved in Japan for the first time in the world as a new modality for locally unresectable recurrent or unresectable advanced head and neck cancer.
It is eventually considered that the Japanese case will lead and promote other BNCT projects around the world by introducing the accelerator-based BNCT facilities. Stella Pharma, as the first company in the world that obtained regulatory approval of the BNCT drug, presented several items at the session; such as, general requirements and specifications for the drug, challenge and approach to improve the drug for real clinical use, and further research activities to extend indications. Amongst pharmaceutical companies, only Stella Pharma joined the session whilst Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Neutron Therapeutics Inc., and TAE Life Sciences participated as medical device manufacturers.
Delegates of many countries to the General Conference also stopped in the session, and had active discussion on BNCT which is the novel therapy utilizing neutron beams. People paid a great interest in BNCT to realize the perspective of the IAEA principle ‘atoms for peace and development.’
Through the cooperation of the Japanese government, this opportunity surely contributes towards gaining recognition of BNCT as well as Stella Pharma worldwide.
Reference: Side Events Organized by Member States During the 66th General Conference
