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Pinnacle Biologics is the Illinois company that markets Photofrin, the porfimer sodium photosensitiser used in photodynamic therapy for oesophageal cancer, Barrett's oesophagus and lung cancer.
Pinnacle Biologics, a specialty pharmaceutical company in the Chicago area, holds the rights to Photofrin (porfimer sodium), the first photosensitiser approved for photodynamic therapy. Porfimer is injected and, after 40 to 50 hours, activated with 630-nanometre laser light to destroy tumour tissue. Photofrin is approved for obstructing oesophageal cancer, obstructing endobronchial non-small cell lung cancer and high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's oesophagus, and has been studied in cholangiocarcinoma and mesothelioma.
Porfimer sodium is the drug half of photodynamic therapy: injected, it gathers in tumours, and a laser passed through an endoscope two days later activates it to burn away oesophageal and lung tumours that block the airway or gullet.