Photofrin (porfimer sodium) / Advanz Pharma - LARVOL DELTA

Photobiological applications of light-activated metallodrugs (ACS-Fall 2026) - P2 | "Clinically approved PSs are typically organic tetrapyrroles (e.g.: Photofrin, the only FDA-approved PS for cancer therapy), which mediate their effects primarily through singlet oxygen (1O2) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS)...One such compound, TLD1433 (Ruvidar®), a Ru(II) oligothienyl polypyridyl complex designed and synthesized in our laboratory, is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03945162) for photodynamic treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)...These complexes expand the design space for metal-based PDT agents, offering tunable photophysical properties and potentially distinct modes of biological action. Beyond their therapeutic applications, these complexes provide a unique opportunity to probe fundamental photochemical and photobiological processes—offering insight into alternative modes of cellular damage and energy transfer that may be harnessed in other light-driven biomedical or..."

Bladder Cancer • Genito-urinary Cancer • Solid Tumor

Bronchoscopic photodynamic therapy for endobronchial metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma causing lobar airway obstruction: a case report. (PubMed, Ann Transl Med) - "Porfimer sodium [Photofrin; 2 mg/kg intravenous (IV)] was administered, followed by bronchoscopic light activation (630 nm) using a 2-cm cylindrical diffuser fiber...Staged bronchoscopic PDT and adjunct cryotherapy provided effective local airway control for hypervascular endobronchial metastatic PTC causing lobar obstruction, with complete response of a smaller non-obstructive RLL lesion, without major bleeding or airway compromise. PDT may be a safe and effective adjunctive therapy for selected patients with metastatic endobronchial PTC."

Journal • Hematological Disorders • Lung Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor • Thyroid Gland Carcinoma • Thyroid Gland Papillary Carcinoma • BRAF

Reappraisal of a historical porfimer sodium photodynamic therapy study for vascular restenosis: Efficacy, high procedural mortality, and methodological insights from a rabbit balloon-injury model. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "This reappraisal confirms the potent biological effects of porfimer sodium-mediated PDT on neointimal hyperplasia. However, the principal contribution of this study lies in the transparent documentation of critical translational barriers, particularly the unsustainable procedural mortality associated with this model of bilateral injury. By providing detailed dosimetry parameters and a candid feasibility analysis, this study offers methodological insights to guide the design of safer and more translatable preclinical vascular PDT studies in the future."

Journal • Preclinical

Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Lung Cancer (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1/2 | N=19 | Completed | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Terminated ➔ Completed

Trial completion • Lung Cancer • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Small Cell Lung Cancer • Solid Tumor

Evaluation of a time-resolved singlet oxygen detection system for in vivo photodynamic therapy. (PubMed, Biomed Opt Express) - "Measurements were performed using liquid phantoms containing the photosensitizers Photofrin or benzoporphyrin derivative, with acquisition time further validated in vivo in murine tumor models...The optimized parameters enable reliable 1O2 lifetime extraction within 100 s from the mouse model in vivo. This systematic evaluation establishes quantitative design guidelines for compact TSOLD systems tailored to in vivo applications."

Journal • Preclinical • Oncology

Targeted Photodynamic Activity of a Hyaluronic Acid-Protoporphyrin IX Complex via Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis. (PubMed, Chem Asian J) - "Further, the uptake of HA-1 in A549 cells was suppressed following the addition of free HA, indicating that its internalization occurred through CD44-receptor-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, the HA-1 complex exhibited better photodynamic activity against CD44-overexpressing cancer cells than both poly-L-lysine-1 complex and Photofrin, underscoring its potential as a targeted photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy."

Journal • Lung Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor • CD44

Imaging tumor oxygenation during interstitial photodynamic therapy (AACR 2025) - "The objective of this investigational study was to perform electron paramagnetic resonance oxygen imaging (EPROI) during I-PDT of locally advanced murine tumors to investigate how changes in the delivered light irradiance, mW/cm2, correlate to changes in tumor oxygenation. C3H mice with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC7), between 260-740 mm3, were treated with I-PDT using the photosensitizer porfimer sodium administered at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg via tail vein injection... The mean pre-treatment pO2 was 9.74 ± 2.37 torr. The average decrease in pO2 as measured with EPROI was 77.8 ± 17.4% (n = 3) for the 100 mW/cm cohort and 63.0 ± 9.4% (n = 4) for the 60 mW/cm cohort.Conclusion and In conventional PDT, in which the light is administered to the tumor surface, a high irradiance is associated with high oxygen consumption and poor tumor response. In contrast to conventional PDT, the results from this study suggest that a high irradiance, which..."

Oncology • Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Current landscape of photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy: challenges and future perspectives - a literature review. (PubMed, Wiad Lek) - " Continued innovation in photosensitizer chemistry, nanotechnology-based delivery, and combination strategies promises to enhance PDT's selectivity, depth, and clinical effectiveness across oncology, dermatology, and infectious disease treatment."

Journal • Review • Dermatology • Infectious Disease • Oncology

Anticancer Efficacy of HPPH-PDT Synergies with BCG-Immunotherapy or COX-2 Inhibitor in Treating Bladder Cancer. (PubMed, Mol Pharm) - "The PS exhibits absorption at 665 nm (in vivo) and shows desired pharmacokinetics with limited skin phototoxicity in patients, compared to FDA-approved Photofrin...Combination of COX-2 inhibition with PDT or with BCG-immunotherapy showed an improved rate of tumor cures. Hence, HPPH-PDT in combination with COX-2 inhibitors not only reduces the expression of COX-2, IL-6, VEGF, and PGE2 but also enhances long-term tumor cure."

IO biomarker • Journal • Bladder Cancer • Esophageal Cancer • Genito-urinary Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor • IL6 • PTGS2

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 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=9 | Completed | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Active, not recruiting ➔ Completed | Trial completion date: Oct 2026 ➔ Oct 2025

Trial completion • Trial completion date • Lung Cancer • Mesothelioma • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Respiratory Diseases • Solid Tumor

5-Aminolevulinic Acid-Based Radiodynamic Therapy for Malignant Gliomas: A Conceptual Framework for Mitochondria-Centered Mechanisms, Target Cell States and Translational Perspectives. (PubMed, Life (Basel)) - "Historically, the radiosensitizing potential of 5-ALA was considered limited, as 5-ALA itself is not a porphyrin and intracellular PpIX levels are lower than those achieved with classical porphyrin-based agents, such as hematoporphyrin derivatives or porfimer sodium...In this review, we summarize the current mechanistic insights into 5-ALA-based RDT, particularly mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress amplification. We also discuss the translational implications and future perspectives for integrating 5-ALA-based RDT into multimodal treatment strategies for malignant gliomas."

Journal • Review • Brain Cancer • Glioblastoma • Glioma • High Grade Glioma • Metabolic Disorders • Oncology • Solid Tumor

Transbronchial Photodynamic Therapy for Peripheral Lung Cancer - A Pilot Study. (PubMed, Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther) - "Lipiodol-assisted transbronchial PDT is technically feasible and demonstrated a favorable acute safety profile in this small pilot cohort. While the low light dose (200 J/cm) resulted in modest tumor control, the technique successfully addressed the challenge of light delivery to peripheral lesions. Future Phase I trials with dose escalation are warranted."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Lung Cancer • Oncology • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases • Solid Tumor

Photodynamic Therapy for Central Early-Stage Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Comparative Study of Photofrin, Chlorin e6, and Foscan. (PubMed, Respiration) - "PDT is a safe and effective treatment modality for centrally located early-stage lung cancer, achieving high rates of local tumor control. Among the evaluated photosensitizers, Chlorin e6 showed a favorable balance of efficacy and safety."

Journal • Retrospective data • Lung Cancer • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor

Phase I/II Clinical Study of Next-Generation Photodynamic Therapy (L-PDT) Using Talaporfin Sodium (Laserphyrin®) for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: Efficacy, Safety, and Fertility Preservation. (PubMed, Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther) - "These results suggest that L-PDT is a safe and highly effective non-excisional treatment for CIN that may contribute to fertility preservation; however, potential advantages over conventional conization and laser vaporization need to be confirmed in comparative studies."

Journal • P1/2 data • Cervical Cancer • Gynecologic Cancers • Gynecology • Oncology • Pain • Solid Tumor

Photodynamic Therapy to Amplify the Response to Immunotherapy in Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Pleural Disease (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=5 | Terminated | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Active, not recruiting ➔ Terminated; low accrual

Trial termination • Lung Cancer • Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma • Mesothelioma • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Pleural Mesothelioma • Respiratory Diseases • Solid Tumor • PD-L1

Photodynamic Action of Hypocrellin A and Hypocrellin B against Cancer-A Review. (PubMed, Pharmaceuticals (Basel)) - "There are two types of photosensitizers in PDT, including synthetics (e.g., hematoporphyrin derivative, photofrin II, verteporfin) and natural (e.g., Hypocrellin A (HA) and Hypocrellin B (HB)). "Curcumin" is a successful PS for traditional Chinese medicine used in PDT during clinical study and it is used as a benchmark for HB. Currently, scientists are paying attention to "nanotechnology" that enhances hypocrellin's properties in PDT for achieving clinical goals, but further investigations are required."

Journal • Review • Oncology

Phase II Trial of Radical Pleurectomy With or Without Intraoperative PDT for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2 | N=52 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine | Trial completion date: Dec 2025 ➔ Dec 2027 | Trial primary completion date: Nov 2024 ➔ Dec 2026

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma • Mesothelioma • Oncology • Pleural Mesothelioma • Solid Tumor

Safety Profile and Therapeutic Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy for Early-Stage Endobronchial Carcinoma (ERS 2025) - "The photosensitizers used were Photofrin, Chlorin E6, and Foscan. The study included 36 patients (mean age: 65.4 ± 7.6 years; 19% female; mean FEV1: 51.6 ± 21.1%; mean DLCO: 46.2 ± 21.7%) with 61 lesions, of which 68.9% were multilocular. Fibrin exudation occurred in 90.6% of PDT procedures (n = 53), resulting in complete airway obstruction in 30.2% of cases within the treated area. One patient required prolonged mechanical ventilation due to severe fibrin exudation."

Clinical • Lung Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor

Phase II Trial of Radical Pleurectomy With or Without Intraoperative PDT for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2 | N=52 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine | Trial completion date: Jun 2025 ➔ Dec 2025

Trial completion date • Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma • Mesothelioma • Oncology • Pleural Mesothelioma • Solid Tumor

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 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=9 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Trial completion date: Oct 2025 ➔ Oct 2026

Trial completion date • Lung Cancer • Mesothelioma • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Respiratory Diseases • Solid Tumor

Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Lung Cancer (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1/2 | N=19 | Terminated | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Trial completion date: Feb 2030 ➔ Jul 2024 | Active, not recruiting ➔ Terminated; was paused by device company for a long period of time

Trial completion date • Trial termination • Lung Cancer • Non Small Cell Lung Cancer • Oncology • Small Cell Lung Cancer • Solid Tumor

Cutaneous photosensitivity of phototheranostic porphyrin-lipid nanoparticles. (PubMed, Photochem Photobiol) - "Here, we demonstrate in a nonpigmented rat skin model that PS exhibit less severe and shorter-lasting skin photosensitivity compared with an equivalent drug dose of porfimer sodium (PHO), the canonical first-generation PDT drug...By Day 8, the minimal dose of light eliciting any kind of skin reaction was significantly higher with PS than PHO, and by Day 12, there was no detectable skin response with PS. These differences were attributed to altered intradermal distribution and faster clearance of PS vs. PHO in rat skin."

Journal • Dermatology • Oncology

Neoadjuvant Bronchoscopic Photodynamic Therapy to Facilitate Airway and Parenchymal Sparing Lobectomies in Two Patients with Central Airway Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Patient Centered Approach. (PubMed, Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther) - "While photodynamic therapy has been shown to be an effective stand alone, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant therapy for pulmonary NETs, surgical resection is still required in select patients. We present two cases of in which desired patient outcomes led to the use of neoadjuvant PDT to help facilitate airway and parenchymal sparing lobectomies, thus avoiding more extensive surgical resection and possible long-term morbidity."

Journal • Carcinoid Tumor • Endocrine Cancer • Neuroendocrine Tumor • Oncology • Solid Tumor

The role of ancillary ligands on benzodipyridophenazine-based Ru(II)/Ir(III) complexes in dark and light toxicity against TNBC cells. (PubMed, Dalton Trans) - "Colocalisation and DCFDA studies of Ir1 revealed that it can accumulate in the mitochondria, leading to depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane. These studies confirm that the complex Ir1 is a promising candidate for TNBC treatment in hypoxic tumors, with efficacy comparable to the current PDT drug Photofrin."

Journal • Oncology • Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Porfimer Sodium Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy With or Without Standard of Care Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=5 | Terminated | Sponsor: Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Trial completion date: Nov 2023 ➔ Oct 2024 | Trial primary completion date: Nov 2023 ➔ Oct 2024

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Head and Neck Cancer • Oncology • Solid Tumor