Genentech And Biogen Idec Receive A Complete Response From The FDA For Rituxan For Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171555.php

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response on the companies' applications for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for the treatment of people with previously untreated and previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Millennium Initiates First Clinical Trial With The First Oral Proteasome Inhibitor

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171567.php

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company announced it has further expanded its protein homeostasis program with the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for an oral formulation of MLN9708, the Company's second-generation proteasome inhibitor. An intravenous formulation of MLN9708 entered clinical trials in March. MLN9708 is the third molecule Millennium has developed from its innovative research in protein homeostasis.

How Cells Tolerate DNA Damage - MDC Researchers Identify Start Signal For Cell Survival Program

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171192.php

Cancer researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have gained new insights into how cells react to DNA damage. Dr. Michael Stilmann, Dr. Michael Hinz and Professor Claus Scheidereit have shown that the protein PARP-1, which detects DNA damage within seconds, activates the transcription factor NF-kappaB, a well-known regulator of gene expression. NF-kappaB triggers a survival program, which blocks programmed cell death.

Co-Founder Of Microsoft Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171172.php

Paul Allen who co-founded the computer giant Microsoft with Bill Gates in the 1970s has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 25 years after surviving Hodgkin's lymphoma. The news was announced in a memo to the staff of Allen's company Vulcan, by CEO Jody Allen, who is also Paul Allen's sister. A copy of the memo was also sent to the media.

EntreMed's ENMD-2076 Active In Solid And Hematological Cancers

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171085.php

EntreMed, Inc. ( ENMD), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer announced the presentation of data for the Phase 1 study for its Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor, ENMD-2076, in leukemia patients. The Company also announced that it has selected ovarian cancer as an initial Phase 2 indication.

Finding May Give Hope To More Leukemia Patients So They May Live Cancer-Free

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171021.php

A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning. This finding has the potential to change the current medical practice of using one unit of UCB for treatment of patients who are at high risk for recurrence of leukemia and other cancers of the blood and bone marrow. Michael Verneris, M.D.

FDA Approves New Drug For Rare Cancer Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170799.php

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for treating patients with the rare white blood cell cancer Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL); the drug Istodax (romidepsin) is injectable and is marketed by Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Inc of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Every year, about 1,500 Americans are newly diagnosed with CTCL, a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

FDA Approved Leukemia Drug Shows Promising Activity In Ovarian Cancer Cells

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170504.php

The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.

ChemGenex Announces FDA Accepts NDA For Omapro™ (Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate) And Grants The Filing Priority Review Status

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170446.php

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:CXS) announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for Omapro™ (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have failed treatment with imatinib and who have developed the Bcr-Abl T315I mutation. The NDA has also been granted Priority Review.

Targeting PKC-theta Protein: A Way To Inhibit Harmful Immune Responses?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170419.php

For some individuals with leukemia, the best treatment option is to receive a bone marrow transplant from a person who is not an identical genetic match. The donor bone marrow gives rise to immune cells that attack the leukemia (a response known as a graft-versus leukemia [GVL] response). In some cases, however, the immune cells generated by the donor bone marrow attack other cells in the patient's body and this highly toxic response is known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

EpiCept Corporation Announces Health Canada Accepts Ceplene(R) Application For Review

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170311.php

EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and OMX Nordic Exchange: EPCT) today announced that Health Canada has accepted for review the Company's New Drug Submission (NDS) for Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) for the remission maintenance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients in first complete remission. Health Canada's performance target for the completion of review and a decision is within 300 days.

Advanced Leukemia Successfully Treated With First Use Of Antibody And Stem Cell Transplantation

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170124.php

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.

ERYtech Pharma Starts Its Pivotal Clinical Trial For GRASPA(R) In Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170156.php

ERYtech Pharma announces the start of its pivotal clinical trial for GRASPA®, its lead product in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. This phase III trial has begun in France and will be enlarged to a European scale. Up to 80 patients with relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, aged from 1 to 55 years old will be enrolled. The endpoint combines safety and efficacy with regard to the asparagine depletion level.

FDA Approves Gloucester Pharmaceuticals' ISTODAX(R) For Patients With Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170146.php

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ISTODAX® (romidepsin) for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. The approval of ISTODAX was based on objective disease response defined as the proportion of patients with confirmed complete response or partial response.

Pivotal Data Published In The Journal Cancer Demonstrate That TREANDA Induced Durable Responses In Relapsed Indolent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170039.php

Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) announced the journal Cancer has published a pivotal study demonstrating that TREANDA® (bendamustine HCl) for Injection induced durable responses in patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) whose disease had progressed during or within six months of treatment with rituximab.

Sunesis' Voreloxin Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation For Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170046.php

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNSS) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted voreloxin orphan drug designation for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. And Histostem Korea Announce Providing Hematopoietic Stem Cell To Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170027.php

Stem Cell Therapy International Inc. (OTCBB: SCII) and its soon to be subsidiary, Histostem Ltd. of South Korea ("Histostem"), announced that they recently supplied hematopoietic stem cells to The Queen Mary Hospital of the University of Hong Kong, China, for treatment of Leukemia patients.

New Data On Bendamustine Offers Hope To Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients Resistant To Standard Therapy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170031.php

New data published today in the journal, Cancer, reveals that three quarters (75%) of patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (iNHL), responded to treatment with Bendamustine following a single-arm, multicentre study. Significantly, all patients participating in the study had become resistant or were unresponsive to rituximab (the standard treatment for the disease) when used either as a single agent or in combination with other therapies. Professor Brad S.

Two Genes Co Operate To Cause Aggressive Leukaemia

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169757.php

Two genes, each one of which is known to cause cancer on its own, together can lead to aggressive leukaemia. This is the conclusion from new research carried out on gene-modified mice at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The discovery has surprised scientists, and may lead to new treatments. The two genes are often present in mutated form in acute leukaemias, but the mutations rarely occur together.

Immune Therapy Can Protect Against Or Treat Later Lymphoma

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169629.php

Specially developed immune system cells that target the common Epstein-Barr virus can protect immune-suppressed bone marrow transplant recipients against lymph system disease and cancers that arise from the viral infection, said a group of researchers led by those from Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital.

Drug Shows Promise In Treating Dangerous Complication Of Erectile Disorder

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169481.php

Thousands of men are afflicted with an embarrassing and painful condition that triggers spontaneous, long-lasting erections. There are limited treatment options, but a solution could be on the way thanks to new research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Priapism is a condition of persistent painful penile erection in the absence of sexual desire. It is highly associated with sickle cell disease, leukemia and other blood disorders.

Immunotherapy Demonstrates Long-Term Success In Treating Lymphoma

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169377.php

Targeted immunotherapy has been an attractive new therapeutic area for a number of cancers because it has the potential to destroy tumor cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. New study results demonstrate high success rates using specialized white blood cells to prevent or treat lymphoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV-lymphoma) in patients who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

Sunesis Completes Enrollment Of Voreloxin REVEAL-1 Trial In Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169383.php

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNSS) reported that it has completed enrollment in the REVEAL-1 (Response Evaluation of VorEloxin in AmL) trial, a Phase 2 dose regimen optimization trial of single agent voreloxin in newly diagnosed elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who are unlikely to benefit from standard induction chemotherapy. A total of 113 patients were enrolled and dosed according to one of three dosing schedules.

Lymphoma Research Foundation Announces Recipients Of CLL/SLL Research Initiative Grants

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169204.php

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is pleased to announce that David Frank, MD, PhD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego are the recipients of the second round of funding under the Foundation's Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) Research Initiative.

Innovative National Clinical Trial Network Launched By Rare Cancer Charity

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169157.php

Myeloma UK has launched an innovative Clinical Trial Network designed to transform the way drugs for the bone marrow cancer myeloma are tested and accessed in the UK. The Network brings together for the first time clinical specialists and researchers, the pharmaceutical industry and NHS regulatory bodies to conceive, design and manage a portfolio of early phase trials of novel myeloma drugs in the UK.