GLG News by Oncologists Specializing in Hematologic Malignancies in the U.S.

In 2008, Medicare will no longer pay the cost for hospital care related to certain types of errors including some hospital acquired infections.  This continued decrease in reimbursement will hurt those hospitals most in need of new information systems and increased staffing.

Coumadin is a frequently used and efficacious anticoagulant but patients must be monitored closely in order to avoid bleeding complications.  Genetic variations in coumadin metabolism contribute significantly to variations in bleeding risk and sensitivity to the anticoagulant effects of the drug. ...

1.  Nimotuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the EGFR receptor.  This receptor is over-expressed in more than 50% of gliomas or high grade brain tumors 2.  A phase II clinical trial has demonstrated partial responses and clinical benefit in pediatric patients with recurrent...

Carfilzomib is a proteosome inhibitor like Velcade.  Unlike Velcade, Carfilzomib has shown minimal cross-reactivity with the other catalytic sites within the proteasome or across other protease classes.  Phase I trials have shown that carfilzomib has activity in previously treated myeloma...

TASQ is an oral agent for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer.  Oral agents against this disease could capture a sizable market if safe and effective.

pSivida's compound, when combined with standard chemotherapy, and when injected into patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer can stabilize disease or slow progression in 10 patients with 8 weeks follow-up. These interesting preliminary results need to be confirmed in randomized trials with larger...

Active Biotech is undergoing a phase II trial of an oral anticancer agent for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The trial will enroll 200 patients and is randomized against placebo and have well delineated endpoints. If safety and efficacy are favorable this agent will have a sizable...

Antisoma's AS114 will undergoe Phase II clinical trial for relapsed/refractory AML in combination with cytarabine ( Ara-C) with a comparator arm agianst Ara-C alone. The study design is exploratory "proof of principle" trial for an agent taht has not been tested clinically against AML....

The comprehensive clinical program will supplement the significant body of clinical data existing for ERBITUX in colorectal and head and neck cancers by exploring the use of ERBITUX in additional tumor types including brain, breast, bladder, gastric, lung, pancreas and prostate

The coverage restrictions placed on the FDA-approved indication have no scientific basis and are incompatible with good clinical practice," said Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president of Global Research and Development at Amgen. "We are concerned that inappropriately limiting coverage...