New Drug Information: Vorinostat Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor

Also known as: Zolinza, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid


Drug Information: Vorinostat is a new histone deacetylase inhibitor, a class of drugs that block specific enzymes and appear to have some role in suppressing malignant activity on the intracellular level. In the trial setting for indolent lymphoma, vorinostat has been taken orally, daily.


Side Effects: Severe anorexia (15%), neutropenia (30%), elevated magnesium (20%), low platelet count (20%)

Clinical Trials: A Japanese Phase I trial of vorinostat in 10 lymphoma patients reported a 75% response rate in 4 follicular lymphoma patients, including 2 complete remissions.

Published Studies

Takashi Watanabe et al. "Potential Efficacy of the Oral Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Vorinostat." Cancer Science (2010).