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

Rituximab is an anti-CD 20 monoclonal antibody with activity in many diseases including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  The current phase 3 trial provides further support for the use of rituximab in patients with CLL and is the first study to definitively show an improvement...

Amgen's financial report reflects the decreased sales of its ESA's , mainly Aranesp which were associated with increased mortality and cardiovascular side effects. This trend of decreased use is unlikely to be reversed with the impending FDA review in March. Denosumab a monoclonal antibody being used...

BMS paid Exilexis $ 20 million for rights to develope a small molecule targeting hedgepathway taht is involved in many cancers like melanoma, basalcell carcinoma and brain tumors. The field is crowded with such "targeted agents' many of which are in a later stage of development, so BMS is taking significant...

Zagat guides have been used with the immense popularity in the evaluation of restaurants, hotels and shopping sites.  The current plan is to apply these to doctor's offices- not physician quality.  The concept is nice and may be more meaningful for patients than to Wellpoint's business.&n...

Dr. Folkman first prposed that targeting anti-angiogenesis in an article in 1971. Genentech's antiangiogenesis drug , Avastin is a block buster and has had modest succeses in treatment of advanced colorectal ,breast, and renal cancer. Angiogenesis is only one pathway involved in cancer development and...

In 2 small studies, Wyeth's M-tor inhibitor, Sirolimus, decraesed size of benign tumors in patients with Tuberous sclerosis and even improved lung function in one study. Sirolimus may have a role outside renal cancer in hematological malignancies , sracomas, as well as melanoma.

Amgen's ESA's ( Aranesp and Epgen) use is expected to decline amongst oncologists and nephrologists even if Medicare revises its guidelines, which is in doubt. Osteoporosis is a crowded market with already many approved drugs. Amgen's denosumab which lacks superiority data to these agents is unliokely...

The wall street Journal article about the currently "uninsured" population is on target. Most of these individuals are employed, young, and healthy, but are afraid of high prices, a lot of paperwork and also are under false pretense taht they are " at low risk". Insurnace companies which do their homework:...

Methylnaltrexone ( Progenics, Wyeth) is being developed in subcutaneous formulation for treatment of opioid induced constipation ( OIC) in patients receiving  palliative and supportive care. FDA has requested resulkts from studies involving IV formulation to verify taht the drug is not associated...

Exilexis XL-184 is an oral small molecules that target many receptor tyrosinae kinases ( RTK's) like MET, RET and VEGFR , which is being tested in Phase I/II trial with and without  Tarceva in patients with NSCLC. The fact that early phase trials showed no incraesed cardiac side...