Avastin News and Research

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Avastin is a biologic antibody designed to specifically bind to a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that plays an important role throughout the lifecycle of the tumor to develop and maintain blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Avastin is designed to interfere with the blood supply to a tumor by directly binding to the VEGF protein to prevent interactions with receptors on blood vessel cells. Avastin does not bind to receptors on normal or cancer cells. The tumor blood supply is thought to be critical to a tumor’s ability to grow and spread in the body (metastasize).

Cochrane Review rejects safety concerns regarding cheap alternative drug for treating eye disease

Health policies which favour using ranibizumab for treating eye disease in older people over safety concerns for a cheaper alternative should take account of a new Cochrane Review published today.

16 Sep 2014

AstraZeneca is developing new PARP inhibitor for treatment of ovarian cancer

The ovarian cancer market is highly active with several promising candidates having reached the late stages of development. Three PARP inhibitors, Lynparza (AstraZeneca), niraparib (Tesaro) and rucaparib (Clovis Oncology), which induce cell death in mutated [BRCA-deficient] cancer cells, have been identified by Datamonitor Healthcare as front runners.

11 Sep 2014

Bypassing politics, insurers pay for end of life talks

These doctor-patient conversations had been labeled "death panels" by opponents of the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, in a bid to reduce backlogs, Medicare offers a deal to hospitals to pay 68 percent of short-term stay medical claims that were rejected by outside auditors.

3 Sep 2014

Colorectal cancer therapies market to remain constant at $7.7 billion by 2023

Decision Resources Group finds that the market for colorectal cancer (CRC) therapies will remain constant, at around $7.7 billion by 2023 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

28 Aug 2014

New treatment for ovarian cancer can improve response rates

Doctors at the University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix reported today in Lancet Oncology that a new treatment for ovarian cancer can improve response rates (increase the rate of tumor shrinkage) and prolong the time until cancers recur.

20 Jun 2014

Medicare to pay for hep C screenings for baby boomers

The decision comes amid controversy surrounding the costs of new drugs to treat the blood-borne virus. Meanwhile, two studies find that Medicare could save billions if doctors switched from an expensive eye medication to a similar, much cheaper one and, also, if Part D plans were selected based on the actual drugs patients take.

4 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 3, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of Medicare data released Monday indicating that 2012 charges for some common inpatient hospital procedures dramatically increased over the previous year.

From Medtronic 3 Jun 2014

Avastin and cetuximab extend life of patients with KRAS wild-type advanced bowel cancer

CALGB 80405, a large, independent, phase III study, designed to assess the superiority in overall survival (OS) of cetuximab over Avastin (bevacizumab) when combined with either FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy in people with previously untreated, KRAS wild-type advanced (metastatic) bowel cancer has failed to meet this primary endpoint.

3 Jun 2014

Ovarian cancer patients with molecular subtypes benefit from bevacizumab

Molecular sequencing could identify ovarian cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin), a Mayo Clinic-led study has found.

2 Jun 2014

$Nektar reports etirinotecan pegol Phase 2 study results in patients with Avastin-refractory high-grade glioma$

Nektar reports etirinotecan pegol Phase 2 study results in patients with Avastin-refractory high-grade glioma

Nektar Therapeutics announced today new data from an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 study of NKTR-102 (etirinotecan pegol) in patients with Avastin-refractory high-grade glioma conducted at Stanford Cancer Institute under the direction of Lawrence Recht, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, with co-investigator Seema Nagpal, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine.

2 Jun 2014

Amgen presents extended analysis of PEAK study data at ASCO

Amgen today announced results from the Phase 2 PEAK study that reinforce the improved overall survival (OS) benefit of panitumumab (Vectibix®) when used in combination with FOLFOX, an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimen, compared to bevacizumab (Avastin) plus FOLFOX as first-line treatment in patients with wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

31 May 2014

$ASCO: DelMar presents interim data from VAL-083 clinical trial in refractory GBM$

ASCO: DelMar presents interim data from VAL-083 clinical trial in refractory GBM

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the presentation of interim clinical data from the company's ongoing clinical trial with VAL-083 in refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) during the Central Nervous System Tumor Session at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which is being held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

31 May 2014

Epirus Biopharmaceuticals to merge with Zalicus

Zalicus Inc., and Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the global development and commercialization of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Epirus will merge with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zalicus in an all-stock transaction.

16 Apr 2014

Agenus reports net loss attributable to common stockholders of $5.8 million for Q4 2013

Agenus Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of immuno-oncology candidates, including checkpoint modulators (CPMs), heat shock protein vaccines and adjuvants, today announced its financial results and business highlights for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013.

5 Mar 2014

Biothera’s Phase 2b clinical trial in NSCLC presented at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

Biothera presented results of its Phase 2b clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) this past weekend to top clinicians and scientists at the invitation-only International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer meeting on targeted therapies in Santa Monica, CA.

26 Feb 2014

Physician performs research on cervical cancer

Research on cervical cancer performed by a physician at the University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

24 Feb 2014

Avastin can prolong the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer

New data showing cancer treatment Avastin (bevacizumab) can extend the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer compared to chemotherapy alone has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Feb 2014

Bevacizumab offers no benefit for patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma

Adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to standard chemotherapy and radiation treatment does not improve survival for patients newly diagnosed with the often deadly brain cancer glioblastoma, researchers report in the Feb. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Feb 2014

Agenus' Prophage vaccine Phase 2 study hailed in Neuro-Oncology journal

Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel immune system activating treatments for cancers and infectious diseases, announced that Phase 2 results of Prophage G-200 vaccine in recurrent patients with glioblastoma multiforme were hailed as 'exciting' and a 'very promising therapy' in an editorial published in Neuro-Oncology, the leading journal of the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

21 Jan 2014

Biothera enhances innate immune responses to Imprime PGG drug candidate

Biothera has enhanced innate immune responses to its cancer immunotherapy drug candidate Imprime PGG in subjects regardless of biomarker status, demonstrating the opportunity to treat a larger patient population. The in vitro research will be presented today at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Antibody-Drug Conjugates/Engineering Targeted Therapeutics conference in Palm Springs, CA.

16 Jan 2014