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.

Exatecan (DX-8951f), a new hexacyclic camptothecin analogue, is a second-generation topoisomerase inhibitor that prevents rapidly dividing cells from replicating by interrupting DNA transcription, ultimately leading to cell death. Preclinical studies showed exatecan to have broad-spectrum antitumor efficacy. Exatecan is in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of pancreas cancer. However, there is no recent report of this research. The compound was co-developed by Daiichi Pharmaceutical (now Daiichi Sankyo) and Yakult Honsha.

Exatecan (DX-8951f), a new hexacyclic camptothecin analogue, is a second-generation topoisomerase inhibitor that prevents rapidly dividing cells from replicating by interrupting DNA transcription, ultimately leading to cell death. Preclinical studies showed exatecan to have broad-spectrum antitumor efficacy. Exatecan is in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of pancreas cancer. However, there is no recent report of this research. The compound was co-developed by Daiichi Pharmaceutical (now Daiichi Sankyo) and Yakult Honsha.

Exatecan (DX-8951f), a new hexacyclic camptothecin analogue, is a second-generation topoisomerase inhibitor that prevents rapidly dividing cells from replicating by interrupting DNA transcription, ultimately leading to cell death. Preclinical studies showed exatecan to have broad-spectrum antitumor efficacy. Exatecan is in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of pancreas cancer. However, there is no recent report of this research. The compound was co-developed by Daiichi Pharmaceutical (now Daiichi Sankyo) and Yakult Honsha.