Abortion Pill's Potential Use on Tumors Adds to Debate Over U.S. Market Entree ---- By Ron Winslow Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal DD 10/12/92 SO WALL STREET JOURNAL (J), PAGE B8 LP LOS ANGELES -- Medical researchers are studying a potential new * use for the controversial French abortion pill RU-486: treatment of * benign brain tumors. A large-scale clinical trial was launched at the University of * Southern California last week to determine whether the drug effectively slows or halts growth of meningiomas, tumors that occur * on the surface of the brain and spinal cord. TX The answer won't be known for several years, but the study adds another dimension to the debate over whether the drug, known as mifepristone, should be allowed on the market in the U.S. Rousell-Uclaf, its manufacturer, hasn't sought marketing approval in the U.S. because of the heat of the political battle over abortion. The study raises the possibility that a drug that could benefit some patients won't become available because of a political dispute over another application. "There is a good chance there will be legitimate uses for this drug outside of contraception and abortion," said Steven Grunberg, an oncologist at the USC School of Medicine. "Whether U.S. regulatory officials feel this will be sufficient for licensing will be up to them." A study published last week found the drug to be effective as a contraceptive when taken shortly after sexual intercourse. It is already used in France, the United Kingdom and Sweden to induce abortions within the first nine weeks of pregancy. Meningiomas account for 15% to 18% of all tumors in the central nervous system, and while they are benign -- meaning that they don't spread to other parts of the body -- their growth can lead to such problems as seizures, blindness or paralysis. Most can be removed by * surgery, but some grow so close to crucial brain structures that surgery isn't possible. Dr. Grunberg told reporters at a science writers' conference sponsored by the American Medical Association that the large-scale * trial of RU-486 for the tumors comes after a small pilot study of 28 patients turned up encouraging, though not definitive results. In the small study, eight patients experienced improvement in * symptoms or had minor reduction in tumor size, according to brain scans. In a few other patients, growth of the tumor stabilized after treatment began. While not overwhelming evidence of effectiveness, the results were nevertheless sufficient to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to approve a large study that will involve 200 patients at several U.S. medical centers, and will be based at USC, Dr. Grunberg said. Results from the trial aren't expected for at least four years, and based on current medical practice, only a small number of people * would probably benefit from use of RU-486 in meningiomas. The study might have broader impact by drawing attention to other potential benefits of a drug that isn't available in the U.S. because its primary application is to induce abortion. Dr. Grunberg said the drug is also being studied as a treatment for breast cancer, endometriosis and a disorder called Cushing's disease, which is characterized by obesity and hypertension. Several other trials have been approved by the FDA, he added, though none has progressed as far as the meningioma study. * He said his research team came upon RU-486 as a candidate for treating meningiomas because the drug blocks the action of progesterone, a hormone that appears to promote growth of the tumors. "We didn't set out to make a political statement for * RU-486," he said. "It just appeared to fill the bill for what we're trying to do." ******************************************************************** snarf -a2.