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Gleevec News
Publicly Funded Cancer Trials Gained Americans 3 Million More Years
Posted 16 days ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 6, 2017 – Public-funded trials have significantly extended the lives of people diagnosed with cancer, according to new research. SWOG, the clinical trials network funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), has involved more than 200,000 patient volunteers. These trials have led to approval of 14 new cancer drugs and more than 100 changes to cancer care standards. All told, the clinical trials studied extended life by 3.34 million years, the study found. SWOG estimates the dollar return on investment from federal funding at $125 for each year of life gained. "A lot of people with cancer have lived longer because of the therapies tested in our publicly funded trials," study leader Joseph Unger said in a SWOG news release. He is an assistant member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Cancer Prevention Program in Seattle. "At the same time, the cost of ... Read more
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Could Cancer Drug Gleevec Help With Severe Asthma?
Posted 19 May 2017 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 19, 2017 – A leukemia drug might also effectively treat severe asthma, a small-scale clinical trial suggests. Gleevec (imatinib) reduced the "twitchiness" of airways, making them less likely to reflexively constrict when exposed to an allergen or asthma trigger, said senior researcher Dr. Elliot Israel. "We showed we could decrease the amount of airway twitchiness by a third," Israel said. "That's a substantial change, and that was significant compared with the placebo group." Israel is director of the respiratory therapy department at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The drug also improved overall airway function, an effect researchers hadn't expected, Israel said. People whose severe asthma isn't controlled despite use of high-dose steroid medications are at risk of declining lung function and poor quality of life, the researchers said in background notes. But, ... Read more
Related support groups: Allergic Reactions, Asthma, Gleevec, Asthma - Acute, Anaphylaxis, Allergic Asthma, Imatinib, Reversible Airways Disease
Gleevec Keeps a Leukemia in Check for More Than a Decade: Study
Posted 9 Mar 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 8, 2017 – The cancer drug Gleevec appears to keep chronic myeloid leukemia at bay a decade into treatment – with no signs of additional safety risks, a new study finds. Gleevec – known generically as imatinib – was hailed as a "wonder drug" when it was introduced in 2001 for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). CML is a type of blood cancer that strikes about 5,000 Americans each year, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Before Gleevec, a CML diagnosis "amounted to a death sentence," the institute said. Now, most cases can be controlled, with either Gleevec or related drugs that have been developed since then. The new findings offer more evidence that the early "hype" around Gleevec was correct, said lead researcher Dr. Andreas Hochhaus, of Jena University Hospital in Germany. Of more than 500 CML patients given Gleevec as their initial ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gleevec, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Melanoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Tasigna, Sprycel, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Dasatinib, Imatinib, Nilotinib, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia
Cancer's Heavy Financial Burden
Posted 8 Jun 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 8, 2016 – Many cancer patients can't afford to see their doctor or take the medications they've been prescribed, a new study finds. And the problem will likely only get worse as the cost of cancer treatments continues to rise, the study authors said. "You can prescribe the best drug in the world, but if patients can't afford it and they can't get it, then it won't be effective," said study author Dr. Greg Knight. He is chief fellow with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine's division of hematology and oncology. "We saw a significant portion of patients in our study who were stretching their prescriptions or not coming to the doctor's office," Knight said in a university news release. The researchers reviewed survey results from nearly 2,000 patients at the N.C. Cancer Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C. The participants were all 18 and older, and had been ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Gleevec, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Votrient, Brain Tumor, Avastin, Tarceva, Melanoma, Skin Cancer, Tasigna, Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Sutent, Herceptin, Afinitor, Sprycel, Nausea/Vomiting - Chemotherapy Induced
U.S. Pays Highest Prices for Cancer Meds: Study
Posted 6 Jun 2016 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 6, 2016 – The United States pays the highest prices in the world for generic and brand-name cancer drugs, a new study has found. However, as the world's wealthiest nation, the United States is better able to pay for those pricey drugs than poorer countries with somewhat lower medication prices, added study lead author Dr. Daniel Goldstein. People in China and India are much less able to afford cancer drugs than Americans, he said, even though U.S. monthly drug prices are about three to six times higher in the United States. That doesn't mean America came out on top in overall drug affordability, however. Developed nations such as Australia, England and Israel had the "best deal" in the world on cancer drugs, thanks to government programs that regulate drug pricing, the study found. "America is the wealthiest nation, but its drug prices are significantly higher – so much ... Read more
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'Precision' Cancer Treatment May Extend Lives
Posted 20 May 2016 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 – "Precision" cancer treatment that's guided by genetic clues from the patient's own tumor appears to outperform traditional chemotherapy, a new research review finds. Patients given precision – or personalized – treatment experienced a tumor shrinkage rate six times that attained by regular chemotherapy. But, that only happened if doctors used genetic information to choose the appropriate targeted therapy, said lead researcher Maria Schwaederle. Those patients also experienced nearly double the length of time before their cancer resumed growing, according to the analysis of nearly 350 clinical trials. "It is not just that the therapies are better, but that targeted therapies must be given to the right patients," said Schwaederle, who's with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine's Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy. She will present ... Read more
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Could Talk Therapy Ease Chemo-Related Memory Issues?
Posted 2 May 2016 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 2, 2016 – A type of psychotherapy might help cancer survivors deal with the long-term thinking problems some experience after chemotherapy, researchers say. It's estimated that about half of those who undergo chemotherapy for cancer develop what's often called "chemo brain." For instance, they may have trouble following conversations or remembering the steps in a project, according to background notes with the new study. Although usually mild, these changes can affect quality of life, job performance and relationships, said the researchers from the Eastern Maine Medical Center and Lafayette Family Cancer Center in Bangor, Maine. The researchers developed a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program called Memory and Attention Adaptation Training to help cancer survivors prevent or manage these memory problems. Their study involved 47 breast cancer survivors who underwent ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Fluorouracil, Gleevec, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Brain Tumor, Melanoma, Pancreatic Cancer, Xeloda, Skin Cancer, Tasigna, Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Herceptin
Generic Gleevec Will Likely Cut Millions in Health Costs
Posted 19 Mar 2016 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 18, 2016 – Using the generic form of the cancer drug Gleevec could save patients and insurers millions of dollars, a new study suggests. The patent on Gleevec expired in January. The generic version of the drug is called imatinib. The drug is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. Most people with chronic myeloid leukemia require lifelong daily medication, researchers said. "If we start all patients on the generic form of Gleevec and it works, then they are on a generic for the rest of their lives," study leader William Padula, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said in a school news release. "This amounts to a huge cost savings for them and their insurers." The researchers calculated that if all chronic myeloid leukemia patients began receiving imatinib immediately after diagnosis, the cost of treatment per ... Read more
Related support groups: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gleevec, Imatinib
Sun Pharma Announces FDA Approval for Generic Gleevec
Posted 6 Dec 2015 by Drugs.com
Mumbai, December 04, 2015: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE: SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715, Sun Pharma) today announced that one of its subsidiaries has received final approval from US FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic version of Gleevec, Imatinib Mesylate tablets 100mg and 400mg. Imatinib Mesylate tablets, 100 mg and 400 mg are therapeutic equivalents of Novartis’ Gleevec tablets. As per IMS MAT August 2015, these tablets have annual sales of approximately US$ 2.5 billion in the US. These tablets are indicated for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. The Sun Pharma subsidiary, being the first-to-file an ANDA for generic Gleevec with a para IV certification, is eligible for 180-days marketing exclusivity in the US. Under the terms of a settlement agreement with Novartis, the Sun Pharma subsidiary is permitted to l ... Read more
Related support groups: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gleevec, Imatinib
Could Common Diabetes Drugs Help Fight Leukemia?
Posted 2 Sep 2015 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2015 – Common diabetes drugs might help eradicate drug-resistant cancer cells in a certain form of leukemia when added to standard treatment, a small new study suggests. Researchers found that patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who received a glitazone – a class of drug for type 2 diabetes – along with the standard CML drug imatinib remained disease-free for up to nearly five years. Imatinib, known commercially as Gleevec, boasts an impressive track record in controlling chronic myeloid leukemia and allowing patients to lead virtually normal lives. But despite its effectiveness, dormant, drug-resistant leukemic cells typically lay in wait in bone marrow. They can later transform into highly aggressive cells. "Gleevec can control the disease but never get rid of the source of the disease," said Lee Greenberger, chief scientific officer for the Leukemia & ... Read more
Related support groups: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gleevec, Actos, Pioglitazone, Avandia, ActoPlus Met, Imatinib, Avandamet, Metformin/Pioglitazone, Rosiglitazone, Oseni, Alogliptin/pioglitazone, Glimepiride/Pioglitazone, ActosPlus Met, Glimepiride/Rosiglitazone, Avandaryl, Metformin/Rosiglitazone, Duetact
U.S. Oncologists Decry High Cost of Cancer Drugs
Posted 23 Jul 2015 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 23, 2015 – Soaring costs for cancer drugs are hurting patient care in the United States, a group of top oncologists claim. "High cancer-drug prices are affecting the care of patients with cancer and our health care system," Dr. Ayalew Tefferi, a hematologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in a Mayo news release. Tefferi and his colleagues made a number of recommendations on how to address the problem in a commentary published July 23 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices is one of the suggestions the team of 118 leading cancer experts offered as a possible solution. Along with their recommendations, the group also expressed support for a patient-based grassroots movement on change.org that is demanding action on the issue. "The average gross household income in the U.S. is about $52,000 per year. For an insured patient with ... Read more
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Medicines Are Biggest Culprit in Fatal Allergic Reactions: Study
Posted 10 Oct 2014 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 – Although food allergies have garnered a lot of attention lately, a new study reports that medications are actually the biggest cause of sudden deaths related to allergy. Over a little more than a decade, nearly 60 percent of the allergy-related deaths were caused by medications, while less than 7 percent were caused by food allergies, the study found. "Medications can be dangerous," said study researcher Dr. Elina Jerschow, director of the Drug Allergy Center at Montefiore Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City. While research from other countries has reported medications as a major culprit in anaphylaxis-related deaths, Jerschow said, the problem has been less defined in the United States. One reason is that there is no national registry for anaphylaxis deaths, she said. The study was ... Read more
Related support groups: Depo-Provera, Provera, Amoxicillin, Metronidazole, Doxycycline, Clindamycin, Cephalexin, Azithromycin, Penicillin, Bactrim, Methotrexate, Cipro, Ciprofloxacin, Accutane, Augmentin, Levaquin, Flagyl, Lupron, Keflex, Medroxyprogesterone
Soaring Prices Keep Leukemia Drugs From Patients, Experts Say
Posted 25 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 25 – Pricey cancer medications prevent many Americans with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) from receiving lifesaving treatment, an international team of experts claims. These drugs can cost more than $100,000 a year for patients with CML, once considered a death sentence but now highly treatable with ongoing treatment, according to a commentary penned by 120 specialists in more than 15 countries and published online April 25 in the journal Blood. "Patients with CML have a much better outlook today than ever before, thanks to advances that have greatly improved survival rates. But these patients now face dire financial struggles as they try to maintain their treatment regimen with the drastically inflating cost of care," corresponding author Dr. Hagop Kantarjian, chairman of the leukemia department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said in a ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gleevec, Sprycel, Dasatinib, Imatinib, Bosulif, Bosutinib, Synribo, Omacetaxine
Cancer Chemotherapy Tied to Slight Rise in Risk for Leukemia
Posted 14 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 14 – Chemotherapy can be a lifesaver for thousands of cancer patients, but a new study suggests that it might slightly raise the odds for a type of leukemia later in life. Over the past 30 years, the risk for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has increased for patients who underwent chemotherapy for certain forms of cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the new study found. On the other hand, the researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute said other cancer survivors may have a reduced risk for AML due to a change in chemotherapy agents that occurred decades ago. One expert not connected to the study stressed that cancer patients need to put the findings into perspective. "It's important to realize that the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia related to prior chemotherapy is small and increases with the number of chemotherapy treatments given over time," ... Read more
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Gleevec's Latest Approval is for Pediatric Cancer
Posted 25 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Jan. 25 – The anti-cancer drug Gleevec (imatinib) has received new U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat the most common type of pediatric cancer, affecting some 2,900 children each year, the agency said Friday. Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) progresses rapidly if left untreated. Gleevec, among a class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors, blocks proteins that promote development of cancer cells, the FDA said in a news release. The most common side effects observed in pediatric testing included infection and a decrease in white blood cells and blood platelets. Gleevec was first approved in 2001 to treat a form of chronic myeloid leukemia, and has since been approved to treat several other conditions. The drug is marketed by Novartis, based in East Hanover, N.J. More information To learn more about Gleevec, visit the U.S. ... Read more
Related support groups: Gleevec, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Imatinib
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Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans, Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia, Systemic Mastocytosis, Myeloproliferative Disorders, Hypereosinophilic Syndrome, Myelodysplastic Diseases
