Brivanib alaninate

Brivanib alaninate (INN/USAN) also known as BMS-582664 is an investigational, anti-tumorigenic drug for oral administration. The drug is being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC (also called malignant hepatoma), the most common type of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a primary cancer of the liver and is more common in men than in women. The disease occurs mostly in people who have scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) or after infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Symptoms include pain and swelling in the abdomen, weight loss, weakness, loss of appetite and nausea. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a severe and life-threatening disease that is associated with poor overall survival. While the choice of treatment depends mainly on how advanced the disease is, the only proven therapies to cure the cancer is surgery to remove the tumor and liver transplantation, but these therapies can only be carried out in very few patients. Other treatments include chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Radiofrequency ablation and ethanol injection are also used to remove small tumors.