- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Oct 13,2010
A clinical trial testing a genetically reprogrammed herpes simplex virus as treatment for deadly forms of childhood cancer has received a U.S. Food and Drug Administration grant to support the research.
The Phase I trial at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center currently focuses on testing the safety of the agent HSV1716 in patients. The study includes young patients with solid tumors such as rhabdomyosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma. These cancers have limited treatment options and survival rates under 30 percent when the cancers recur and spread to other parts of the body.
Survival curves for stubborn, metastatic childhood cancers have leveled off in the last decade, underscoring the need for new therapeutic approaches, says Timothy Cripe, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator on the trial and a physician/researcher in division of Hematology/Oncology at Cincinnati Children’s.
“We’ve exhausted our ability to improve cure rates with existing conventional therapies, and we need new solutions,” he said. “This is why we are testing HSV. It’s a potent virus that has been manipulated genetically with the intent of making it safe for the patient. When you’re trying to fight fire with fire you need something that is strong.”
The $600,000 grant from FDA is part of a program encouraging clinical development of “orphan drugs” as new treatments for rare diseases or conditions. The HSV1716 virus being tested in this trial was developed by Crusade Laboratories of Glasgow, Scotland. Read the rest of this entry »
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- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Oct 12,2010
Parents rate research on environmental effects, childhood diseases, and causes of childhood injuries less important
Each year, hundreds of millions of public and private dollars are spent on medical research to improve the health of children – yet parents have little input regarding how those dollars should be spent.
A poll released by the C.S. Mott Children’s National Poll on Children’s Health shows that nearly 9 in 10 parents rank vaccine safety, and the effectiveness and safety of medicines, as the most important topics in children’s health research today.
The poll, which asked 1,621 parents age 18 and older in August 2010 to rate the importance of different types of medical research for children’s health, found that parents rated the topics as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Oct 11,2010
Throughout October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and its clinical care partner, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, are offering a series of weekly research-based tip sheets regarding a variety of topics related to breast cancer, including breast cancer prevention, screening and early detection, treatment, and survivorship. The series will conclude Friday, Oct. 22.
Today’s tip sheet, the second of four in the series, is “10 Tips for Breast Cancer Screening and Early Detection” provided by Constance Lehman, M.D., Ph.D., director of Breast Imaging and medical director of Radiology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
10 TIPS FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENING AND EARLY DETECTION
1. If you are over 40, get a mammogram. Early detection of breast cancer offers the best chance for a cure. The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance supports the American Cancer Society’s recommendation that women begin annual mammography screening at age 40.
2. Where you go matters – choose a mammography expert. Many studies show that doctors who specialize in mammography are more accurate at interpreting the images when compared to physicians with less experience. Get your mammogram read by a doctor who specializes in reading them. The American College of Radiology offers an online search for accredited facilities and “Breast Imaging Centers of Excellence” such as the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. http://www.acr.org/accreditation/AccreditedFacilitySearch.aspx Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Oct 9,2010
Abbott Laboratories has agreed to voluntarily withdraw its obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) from the U.S. market because of clinical trial data indicating an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.
“Meridia’s continued availability is not justified when you compare the very modest weight loss that people achieve on this drug to their risk of heart attack or stroke,” said John Jenkins, M.D., director of the Office of New Drugs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “Physicians are advised to stop prescribing Meridia to their patients and patients should stop taking this medication. Patients should talk to their health care provider about alternative weight loss and weight loss maintenance programs.”
Meridia was approved by the FDA in November 1997 for weight loss and maintenance of weight loss in obese people, as well as in certain overweight people with other risks for heart disease. The approval was based on clinical data showing that more people receiving sibutramine lost at least 5 percent of their body weight than people on placebo who relied on diet and exercise alone. Read the rest of this entry »