In phase 2 study against pancreatic cancer, the drug was administered intravenously at 1250 mg/m2/d on day 1, 8 and 15 of each 4-week cycle.

The in vitro experiments were performed in cell lines of leukemia and solid tumor origin, both sensitive and resistant to gemcitabine. All populations were cultured at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air and 5% CO2. Sensitivity to drugs was defined by the concentration of the drug causing a growth inhibition of 50% (IC50) after 72 h drug exposure of the cells. The cells were plated in 24-well plates in different densities, depending on their doubling times, to enable log-linear growth for 72 h. Drugs were added directly after plating the cells. Final concentrations of the drugs in the wells ranged from 2.10−10 to 10−3 M.