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Gleevec News
More Patients OK'd for Cancer Trials Under Obamacare: Study
Posted 1 day 22 hours ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 20, 2017 – The Affordable Care Act has enabled more privately insured patients to enroll in clinical trials for new cancer treatments, a new study contends. Speedy approvals are important for patients who want to participate in clinical trials, said study author Dr. David Hong. He's deputy chair of investigational cancer therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Since 2000, Medicare, the publicly funded insurance program for seniors, has covered routine costs of clinical trial participation. But coverage for patients with private insurance differed by insurer and state, the researchers noted. Under the ACA, or Obamacare, however, private insurers had to cover "standard of care" costs of clinical trial participation as of 2014. For this study, the researchers analyzed more than 2,400 patient referrals to the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy at ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Colorectal Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Votrient, Tarceva, Pancreatic Cancer, Avastin, Tasigna, Sutent, Sprycel, Afinitor, Nexavar, Stomach Cancer, Carboplatin, Cisplatin, Cytoxan
Doctors' Group Offers Ideas for Easing Cancer Costs
Posted 2 days 22 hours ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 19, 2017 – New cancer drugs routinely cost $100,000 a year or more, and older cancer drugs are rising in price, too. Now, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has some suggestions for easing patients' money woes. The proposals include allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, legalizing the importation of drugs, and adopting bundled, or group, payment programs. In the new policy statement, ASCO also says it supports creation of a panel of "stakeholders" in health care to determine the effectiveness of its proposals. Such a group might also outline a uniform approach for assessing the value of drugs. "In what, undoubtedly, is one of the most difficult times in their lives, individuals with cancer should be focused on getting the best care possible, not worrying about financial strain on their families," said Dr. Clifford Hudis. He's CEO of ASCO, a leading ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Depo-Provera, Provera, Methotrexate, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Prostate Cancer, Medroxyprogesterone, Tamoxifen, Arimidex, Fluorouracil, Lupron Depot, Femara, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Colorectal Cancer, Votrient, Anastrozole, Brain Tumor, Letrozole
Most Breast Cancer Patients Have Help Choosing Treatments
Posted 12 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, July 10, 2017 – Most women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer don't go it alone. Many breast cancer patients depend on family and friends to help them make treatment decisions, get to doctor appointments and seek out other resources. A new study finds half of women rely on three or more people to help them through it. "People just diagnosed with cancer are often scared and overwhelmed. Having another person to help them process information is important," said study lead author Lauren Wallner, an assistant professor of general medicine and epidemiology at the University of Michigan. "Physicians need to recognize that women involve other people in their treatment decisions," she added in a university news release. "These people represent an important group to provide information about treatment options." For the study, the researchers surveyed about 2,500 women who had ... Read more
Related support groups: Depo-Provera, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Medroxyprogesterone, Tamoxifen, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Femara, Gleevec, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Anastrozole, Letrozole, Evista, Megestrol, Zoladex, Megace, Tasigna, Sprycel, Herceptin
FDA Widens Access to 'Cooling Cap' to Stop Hair Loss in Cancer Patients
Posted 17 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 5, 2017 – More cancer patients may be able to ward off hair loss during chemotherapy treatment. A cooling cap approved in 2015 for use in breast cancer patients has won expanded approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The DigniCap Cooling System can now be used for patients with solid tumors, the FDA announced. The computer-controlled cap contains liquid that circulates and cools the scalp, narrowing blood vessels. This reduces how much of the chemotherapy drugs reach hair follicle cells, the FDA said. Cooling also decreases activity of hair follicles and slows cell division. The result: Chemo drugs don't affect them as much, according to the FDA. Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, especially during treatment of most solid tumor cancers. Hair may fall out all at once, little by little or become thin. It's usually temporary – and upsetting. ... Read more
Related support groups: Depo-Provera, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Medroxyprogesterone, Tamoxifen, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Femara, Gleevec, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Anastrozole, Letrozole, Evista, Megestrol, Zoladex, Megace, Tasigna, Sprycel, Herceptin
Publicly Funded Cancer Trials Gained Americans 3 Million More Years
Posted 6 Jun 2017 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: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Leukemia, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Melanoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Tasigna, Sprycel, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Imatinib, Dasatinib, 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, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Colorectal Cancer, Votrient, Brain Tumor, Tarceva, Melanoma, Avastin, Nausea/Vomiting - Chemotherapy Induced, Skin Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Tasigna, Sutent, Endometrial Cancer, Sprycel, Herceptin, Afinitor
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, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Colorectal Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Brain Tumor, Melanoma, Pancreatic Cancer, Xeloda, Nausea/Vomiting - Chemotherapy Induced, Skin Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Tasigna, Endometrial Cancer
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, Rosiglitazone, Metformin/Pioglitazone, Oseni, Alogliptin/pioglitazone, Glimepiride/Pioglitazone, ActosPlus Met, Avandaryl, Metformin/Rosiglitazone, Duetact, Glimepiride/Rosiglitazone
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
Related support groups: Cancer, Depo-Provera, Provera, Methotrexate, Breast Cancer, Accutane, Lupron, Prostate Cancer, Medroxyprogesterone, Tamoxifen, Arimidex, Tretinoin, Fluorouracil, Lupron Depot, Femara, Lung Cancer, Gleevec, Rituxan, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Isotretinoin
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Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia, Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans, Systemic Mastocytosis, Myeloproliferative Disorders, Hypereosinophilic Syndrome, Myelodysplastic Diseases
