Rimcazole to be tested as cancer drug

Edinburgh, Scotland -- Scottish scientists said they're testing the use of the antipsychotic rimcazole as a cancer drug.

Dr. Barbara Spruce and her research team at the University of Dundee said rimcazole, developed to treat schizophrenia, can encourage apoptosis -- the body's natural defense mechanism to rid itself of cancer cells, The Herald newspaper said Thursday.

The drug company Modern Biosciences said it expects rimcazole to be in human clinical trials within a year. If the tests are successful, the drug could be available in four or five years, the university said.

Scientists said rimcazole works against a broad range of cancer types and has very little toxic effect toward healthy tissues, which means it is likely to have few side effects.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.