Idarubicin is an antineoplastic in the anthracycline class.Idarubicin hydrochloride is a DNA-intercalating analog of daunorubicin which has an inhibitory effect on nucleic acid synthesis and interacts with the enzyme topoisomerase II. The absence of a methoxy group at position 4 of the anthracycline structure gives the compound a high lipophilicity which results in an increased rate of cellular uptake compared with other anthracyclines.Idarubicin possesses an antitumor effect against a wide spectrum of tumors, either grafted or spontaneous. Idarubicin in combination with other approved antileukemic drugs is indicated for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults.

Rigosertib sodium (ON 01910.Na) is a small molecule inhibitor of critical pathways important in the growth and survival of cancer cells, being developed by Onconova Therapeutics ("Onconova") for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Rigosertib (ON-01910) is a non-ATP-competitive inhibitor of PLK1 with IC50 of 9 nM in a cell-free assay. It shows 30-fold greater selectivity against Plk2 and no activity to Plk3. Extensive Phase I and Phase II studies with rigosertib have been conducted at leading institutions in the U.S. and abroad in more than 450 patients with solid tumors and hematological cancers, including MDS and AML. MDS and AML are blood disorders widely recognized as difficult to manage, with limited therapeutic options available for patients, especially those with drug-resistant disease. The multi-site Phase III ONTIME trial in MDS patients is under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) from the U.S. FDA and is being supported by an award from the Therapeutics Acceleration Program (TAP) of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation for the use of rigosertib in MDS. The clinical program in solid tumors is also advancing with initiation of the Phase II/III combination ONTRAC trial (ON 01910.Na TRial in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer) and Phase II single agent trial in ovarian cancer. In Japan, SymBio is developing rigosertib for the treatment of refractory/relapsed HR-MDS (IV form) and first-line LR-MDS (oral form).

Decitabine was first synthesized by Pliml and Sorm in the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1964. Later, the drug was approved by FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes in patients with cancer. Upon administration the decitabine is metabolized to the active phosphorylated metabolite which is incorporated into DNA and thus inhibits DNA methyltransferase (decitabine deplete DNMT1).