| GTx Says Ostarine Meets Phase II Endpoints
Biopharmeceutical company GTx Inc. said Friday its ostarine treatment met its primary and secondary endpoints in a mid-stage trial. In a study conducted on 120 elderly men and women in the U.K. and Germany, subjects treated with ostarine measured against a placebo showed both significant muscle growth and functional performance, according to the company. Ostarine, a first-in-class drug, is a selective androgen receptor modulator, or SARM. In preclinical trials, ostarine distinguished itself from current osteoporosis drugs which only treat bone loss by also increasing muscle. The use of similar drugs has been limited over concerns of side-effects, but according to GTx, ostarine use resulted in no seriously adverse effects. As a result of the mid-stage study, the company has selected cancer cachexia, or muscle wasting connected to many cancers, as the initial acute indication for ostarine development, with an additional mid-stage trial for cachexia treatment scheduled for the summer of 2007.
Data Show Efficacy of Extended Dosing of Aranesp(R) in the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced data from two studies showing that extended dosing of Aranesp® (darbepoetin alfa) is effective in increasing hemoglobin levels to the target level of 11 to 12 g/dL and reducing the need for red blood cell transfusions in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia. These data were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 48th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. (Abstracts # 1306, 1552) "Clinical evidence has demonstrated that extended dosing of Aranesp effectively treats chemotherapy-induced anemia, offering patients a way to synchronize anemia treatment with their chemotherapy and reduce the frequency of injections," said study investigator Johan Vansteenkiste, M.D., Ph.D., Respiratory Oncology Unit, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
Final Phase 2 Data Continue to Show Promising Results After One Year of Aranesp(R) Treatment for Anemia in Patients ...
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced that after 53/55 weeks of treatment with Aranesp® (darbepoetin alfa) administered every three weeks, 74 percent of anemic patients with low- or intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes who had not previously received an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) had an erythroid response, with 59 percent classified as major response. These final data were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 48th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. (Abstract # 2671) Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), also known as pre-leukemia or "smoldering" leukemia, encompass a group of disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells. MDS are associated with abnormal blood counts or poorly functioning blood cells and often result in anemia (low red blood cell count), neutropenia (low white blood cell count) and thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count).
Readers' Comments Year of scandal and tragedy
Disbelief swept the country at the news in September that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin had died not in a croc attack, but after being pierced through the heart by a stingray barb.Just four days later, the motor racing industry was rocked by the death of the great Peter Brock, who lost his life, more predictably, in a racing car. Read full story i want jessica rowe to resume her position when she's ready to come back. sarah murdoch is boring. Posted by: thomas of perth 1:45am today Comment 2 of 2 Having met Darren Hayes personally and followed his music and career for several years now, I would just like to wish him and Richard all the very best for their future and their plans to adopt a child. I read elsewhere that they are thinking of adopting an older child and I aplaud them for this.
MethylGene starts phase II cancer trial
MethylGene, along with its partner Pharmion Corporation, has initiated a phase II trial of MGCD0103 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myelogenous leukemia. Specific patient populations include elderly patients who have previously untreated disease or adult patients who have relapsed or refractory disease. .
ViroPharma Announces Presentation of Additional Maribavir Data at ...
EXTON, Pa., December 11, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ViroPharma Incorporated today announced additional supportive results from the company's Phase 2 evaluation of maribavir, an oral antiviral drug candidate in Phase 3 development to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in transplant patients, at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), held in Orlando, Florida. Data from the Phase 2 study of maribavir presented at the meeting elaborates previously presented data on the antiviral activity and tolerability of the compound, and new data including the results of analyses of the rates of graft versus host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving maribavir compared to placebo. Additional data from a pharmacokinetic study in subjects with renal impairment were also presented.
Breast Cancer: Reducing the Pain of Secondary Bone Disease
In a clinical study UHN researchers Drs. Mark Clemons and David Cole were the first to show that introducing a more potent form of a family of drugs called bisphosphonates to breast cancer patients with bone disease progression improves their quality of life. In 65 to 75% of women with advanced breast cancer their cancer metastasizes, or travels, to their bone. In Canada, patients will usually be treated for this with bisphosphonates. Of the women that develop bone disease, two thirds of them experience a bone-related injury or progression of their bone disease. By switching to a more potent form of bisphosphonate both the quantity and quality of the patient's pain was reduced. Working with their colleague George Dranitsaris, they correlated the patient's response with differences in substances in their urine samples that are associated with changes in bone.
Talks to the animals
NORWAY - Erica Jed admits she's a bit embarrassed to be telling the story - it sounds so incredulous - but she says a local woman who can communicate with animals cured Jed's puppy of a house-training problem.
"She went home and had some communication with Zoey in another plane," Jed said. After that - the same day, in fact - Zoey began going to the door asking to be let outside. "There was a definite change," Jed said.
Nancy Hohmann said she spoke to Zoey about a month ago and explained the concept of house training to her. "She didn't know what it was," Hohmann said. "I asked her, and she said, "What's that?" She didn't understand she was supposed to go outside."
Animal communication is practiced by empaths - especially sensitive people - who say they can communicate with animals, telepathically, divining the animal's thoughts and feelings, even at great distances.
Eli Lilly and Company Submits New Drug Application for EVISTA for ...
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) announced today that it submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Division of Drug Oncology Products (DDOP) for EVISTA(R) (raloxifene HCl) for the reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and postmenopausal women at high risk for breast cancer. EVISTA is currently indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. "If approved, EVISTA would be the only therapy to address two leading health issues for postmenopausal women -- osteoporosis and breast cancer," said Gwen Krivi, Ph.D., vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories. "We believe this potential new indication for EVISTA would provide a tremendous opportunity for postmenopausal women with these health issues." The filing, submitted in November 2006, includes data from four clinical trials -- two pivotal trials and two supportive trials, representing data from three different patient populations: * Postmenopausal women at increased risk for invasive breast cancer in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) trial * Postmenopausal women with known or at increased risk for coronary disease in the Raloxifene Use for The Heart (RUTH) trial * Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) and Continuing Outcomes Relevant to EVISTA (CORE) trials.
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