GLG News by Oncologists (US)

Avastin ( Roche/Genentech) extended time to progression when combined with Docotaxel ( Sanofi-Aventis) in patients with metastatic breast cancer as compared to Docotaxel alone, but did not prolong survival. Unlike approval by the FDA,the EMEA is more cost conscious and may be reluctant to...

"The filing is supported by data from the phase III Avado trial, which investigated Avastin in combination with docetaxel compared wwith docetaxel alone in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer, Roche said in a statement."

Doctors can not remain in the middle between pharmaceutical companies and insurance and health plans. Reimbursement for oreal and IV drugs should be comparable , in order to avoid over-prescription of IV drugs , even if they are not as efficacious or more toxic. The patient's helath plan ( the government...

Pemetrexed (lilly) with Cisplatinum is less toxic and may be more efficacious in a subset of patients with advanced NSCLC than Gemcitibine ( another Lilly compound) /Cisplatin combination. he real question is how this comapres to Avastin ( Genentech) or even the antibody Cetuximab ( Imclone) in...

The New England Journal of Medicine report confirms that Bayer/Onyx Nexavar prolongs median survival and time to progression in patients with advanced HCC. This trumor is a world wide health problem, so such positive news, although old, in a reputable journal, will lead to wider use of this oral...

In a US multicenter Phase II study, Erbitux ( Imclone) added to efficacy of Carboplatinum and Palcitaxel in a subset of NSCLC patients whose tumors had extra copies of EGFR that is targeted by Cetuxiamb. FISH techniques still has problems with standardization and larger number of patients are needed...

Sorafenib increases time to progression and median survival in HCC. (World wide a major neoplasm)

Peripheral blood in patients with metastatic non small cell lung cancer (NSCLCA) can determine the presence of EGFR mutations in circulating cancer cells that will reveal sensitivity to TKI's- Erbitux (ImClone & BMS), Tarceva (Genentech) and even Iressa (AZ).

Lung cancer patients who have increased gene copies of EGFR do better with Cetuximab than do those who do not.

Individualizing chemotherapy depending on histology (adenocarcinomas) shows that Alimta/CisPlatin appears to be more convenient and less toxic than its stablemate Gemzar.