hydroxychloroquine + itraconazole

hydroxychloroquine + itraconazole is a combination therapy being investigated by the University Health Network (UHN) at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre for the treatment of advanced platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer. This drug repurposing strategy, evaluated in the HYDRA-1 (NCT03081702) clinical trial, combines the antimalarial agent hydroxychloroquine with the antifungal agent itraconazole. Hydroxychloroquine acts as an autophagy inhibitor by accumulating in lysosomes, increasing their pH, and thereby inhibiting autophagosome-lysosome fusion and degradative activity. Itraconazole contributes pleiotropic anticancer effects, including the inhibition of the Hedgehog signaling pathway (via Smoothened antagonism), the mTOR pathway, and cholesterol trafficking. The combination is designed to disrupt lysosomal homeostasis and metabolic adaptation in resistant cancer cells.

Other names

hydroxychloroquine and itraconazoleHCQ + ITZ