Avastin Cancer Drug Linked To Anemia In Combo Trials Doctors Warned
July 25th, 2008 by allsoch
On Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted on its website, a copy of a letter from Genentech Inc, the makers of cancer drug Avastin, to healthcare providers that warns them about a type anemia seen in clinical trial patients treated with Avastin in combination with Pfizer Inc’s Sutent (sunitinib malate).
Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, or MAHA, is a type of anemia (shortage of red blood cells) caused by a build up of platelets and other organic obstructions on the inner walls of very small blood vessels. These shred healthy red blood cells as they pass through, eventually leading to a a whole body shortage of them.
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With 33,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the North West each year, Manchester Libraries have launched a breakthrough scheme with Macmillan Cancer Support to make advice and support more accessible than ever.
Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), a fully integrated biotechnology company, announced it has received approval from the China State Food and Drug Administration to market ABRAXANE® Paclitaxel for Injection (Albumin Bound) for the treatment of breast cancer after failure of standard chemotherapy for metastatic disease or relapse within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. The Phase III clinical trials in the U.S. and China on which this approval was based demonstrated that ABRAXANE doubled the response rate, significantly prolonged time to tumor progression, and in the U.S. trial, significantly improved overall survival versus Taxol® in the approved indication.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have identified a type of cancer stem cell that might initiate metastatic cancer, which spreads beyond the original, primary tumor site and to other locations within the body. For the first time, scientists have revealed that the molecular profiles of these cancer stem cells are much different than those located in primary tumors.
How can your feet lead you directly to a treatment that can help heal your entire body? By experiencing Third Coast Reflexology of Chicago, an integrative health approach that alleviates stress and pain and promotes wellness. Research in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) shows that stress causes 90% of all illness. Reflexology is a safe, non-invasive therapy, whose primary benefit is to promote relaxation and good health, and reduce chronic pain and stress.
The AP/Google.com on Tuesday examined a debate in Bexar County, Texas, over whether needle-exchange programs should be legalized to help curb the spread of HIV. Currently, anyone in possession of drug paraphernalia can be prosecuted, regardless of their intentions.
The Fiji Australia Business Council and UNAIDS on Monday agreed to a partnership under which they will develop a business coalition in Fiji to strengthen the private sector’s response to HIV/AIDS, the Fiji Times reports (Fiji Times, 7/22). According to FABC President Caz Tebbutt Dennis, the business coalition will help companies develop policies such as voluntary HIV/AIDS testing among workers. According to Tebbutt Dennis, the economic loss from HIV/AIDS in Asia is about $10 billion and could increase to $24 billion in the next few years if adequate steps are not taken to address the disease (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 7/21).
The International Labour Organization recently called on some Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, to end discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, The National reports. ILO in partnership with UNAIDS and the International Organization for Migration also proposed a code of practice for governments in dealing with migrant workers who become HIV-positive.
Taboos about sex in Pakistan make it difficult to address HIV/AIDS and are hindering efforts to curb the spread of the disease, according to a study published recently in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the New York Times reports. According to the study, seven times as many men as women are reported to be living with HIV in Pakistan, and UNAIDS says that at least 85,000 people are HIV-positive in the country.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) today announced that it has begun enrolling patients in a Phase III clinical trial of its investigational antiretroviral agent elvitegravir (GS 9137), a novel oral integrase inhibitor that is being evaluated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. The study is designed to assess the non-inferiority of ritonavir-boosted elvitegravir, dosed once daily, compared to raltegravir (Isentress®), another integrase inhibitor that is dosed twice daily. The study will enroll 700 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced patients at approximately 125 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. A second Phase III study with a similar design involving 700 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced patients will be initiated later this year in Europe, Canada and Australia.