Mureletecan is a water-soluble prodrug, consisting of camptothecin covalently linked to polymeric backbone methacryloylglycynamide, with potential antineoplastic activity. After entering tumor cells, the active moiety camptothecin is slowly released from mureletecan via hydrolysis of the ester linkage. Camptothecin, the active moiety, is an alkaloid isolatable from the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata. Camptothecin itself suffers from poor solubility, which is why it is often investigated with a solubilizing conjugate; such as in Mureletecan. Camptothecin binds to and stabilizes the topoisomerase I-DNA covalent complex producing potentially lethal double-stranded DNA breaks when encountered by DNA replication machinery. Camptothecin has also been shown to inhibit HIF1a. Camptothecin has been investigated with a number of solubilizing conjugates as a potential treatment in various forms of cancer.

Malethamer is the generic name of a new synthetic hydrocarbon copolymer with extraordinary water-binding properties, being able to absorb 200 times its weight of water. It is physically and chemically binds poliovirus 1 and certain bacterial enterotoxins. Ethylene-maleic anhydride copolymers and their derivatives have come to be considered for a number of applications generally involving the formation of insoluble complexes with proteins and viruses. The copolymer is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is pharmacologically inert. Malethamer, because of its water absorbing quality, is an effective compound for the symptomatic control of diarrhea, both organic and functional.