Oncology Product Guide

Alimta approved by FDA

Jim Marino — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:31:17 +0000

The FDA has approved Alimta, the first drug for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer. Manufactured by Eli Lilly and generically known as pemetrexed, this drug may prevent this form of lung cancer from progressing further after the size of the tumor has shrunk or been stabilized following chemotherapy. Alimta works by disrupting metabolic processes which depend on the B-vitamin folate for cell replication.

FDA approves generic Casodex

Jim Marino — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:45:55 +0000

The US FDA has approved the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic Casodex Bicalutamide tablets to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ subsidiary. These bicalutamide tablets with strength of 50 milligram are therapeutically equivalent to Casodex tablets from AstraZeneca and are used in combination therapy with a lutenizing harmone-releasing harmone (LHRH) analog for the treatment of stage D2 metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. The annual sales of the Casodex tablets are about $314 million in the US.

Study links fatty diet to pancreatic cancer

Jim Marino — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:19:16 +0000

New research conducted by the National Cancer Institute shows that people consuming high-fat diet are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, especially if their dietary fat comes from animal foods, such as meat and dairy products. The new study included more than half a million U.S. adults and none of them had pancreatic cancer at the time of the start of the study. Participants were followed for six years, on average, during which 865 of the men and 472 of the women were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

ImmunoCellular’s Cancer Vaccine Demonstrates Immune Response Against Brain Cancer

Jim Marino — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:04:53 +0000

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. has presented preliminary, promising clinical data from a Phase I trial, evaluating ICT-107, the company’s dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine product candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma. ICT-107 was well tolerated, and no significant adverse events were reported. The Phase I clinical trial of ICT-107 was conducted to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the cancer vaccine in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and malignant type of brain cancer. The trial enrolled 19 patients and was conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Blood Scanner That Detects Even Faint Indicators Of Cancer Developed By Stanford Researchers

Jim Marino — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:17:54 +0000

A team led by Stanford University researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival. The system based on MagArray biodetection chips can find cancer-associated proteins in a blood serum sample in less than an hour. This could be especially helpful for lung cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer, because those cancers are hidden in the body

Discovery Of New Enzyme In Cancer Growth May Explain Why Cancer Grows; Spreads

Jim Marino — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:03:23 +0000

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, while studying the mechanics of blood clots, have discovered a new enzyme that not only affects the blood, but seems to play a primary role in how cancer tumors expand and spread throughout the body. A research group at OU led by Patrick McKee first discovered the enzyme called sFAP in plasma. After studying the biochemical makeup of the protein and identifying the gene that controlled its function, they began to search gene sequencing databases worldwide to find what it was.

Varian Medical Systems Introducing OncoView™ - An Oncology Specific Image Management And Storage Solution

Jim Marino — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:01:00 +0000

Varian Medical Systems is introducing a new product that makes it easier for clinicians to store, manage and view images generated during cancer treatments. Varian will showcase its new OncoView™ image management and storage solution at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in Chicago, November 30 - December 4, 2008. OncoView provides oncology professionals with a reliable, scalable way of archiving and accessing the images and data that impact decisions about a patient’s course of treatment.

NPL launches Linac to make cancer treatment safer

Jim Marino — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:01:30 +0000

National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has announced the launch of a new piece of medical technology aimed at improving the success rates of radiotherapy cancer treatments. The new clinical electron linear accelerator (linac) will help ensure patients are treated with accurate doses of radiation. NPL’s new clinical linac’s ability to provide highly stable beams and accurate doses will enable calibrations with smaller uncertainties. This will allow hospitals to deliver more accurate, and more effective, radiation doses to cancer patients.

FDA approves ANDA for Akorn-Strides’ Pamidronate Disodium Injection

Jim Marino — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:06:19 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for an Abbreviated New Drug Application for Akorn-Strides‘ Pamidronate Disodium Injection, 3 mg/mL and 9 mg/mL in 10 mL vials. The joint venture between Akorn and Strides was formed to develop liquid, dry powder and lyophilized formulations of generic injectable pharmaceuticals for a wide market with focus on painkillers, anti-infectives and CNS medications. Pamidronate Disodium Injection has received the indication for use in the treatment of hypercalcemia related to tumors and Paget’s disease.

ImClone launches ERBITUX® in Canada

Jim Marino — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:59:34 +0000

ImClone Systems Inc. has launched its ERBITUX® (cetuximab) in Canadian market in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada. The product will be commercially available for use in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. It has Health Canada’s approval for use in conjunction with irinotecan in the treatment of cancer patients who are intolerant to irinotecan-based chemotherapy alone. The trial supporting this approval was conducted by Merck, Germany, ImClone’s partner for ERBITUX outside North America.