Myeloid Leukemia News and Research

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Myeloid Leukemia is an aggressive (fast-growing) disease in which too many myeloblasts (immature white blood cells that are not lymphoblasts) are found in the bone marrow and blood. Also called acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, AML, and ANLL.

Researchers find gene mutations that may provide clues for treating AML patients

Although leukemia is one of the best studied cancers, the cause of some types is still poorly understood. Now, a newly found mutation in acute myeloid leukemia patients could account for half of the remaining cases of adult acute leukemia with an unknown origin.

19 Feb 2010

Aprea's AML treatment receives EMEA recommendation for orphan drug status

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) recommends orphan drug status for Aprea's treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The treatment is currently undergoing a Phase I clinical study and a final decision from the European Commission regarding status is expected in a few weeks. Aprea is part of the Karolinska Development portfolio.

18 Feb 2010

NCI's NCL to conduct characterization studies of Celator Pharmaceuticals' HDPN formulation

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL), operated by SAIC-Frederick (Frederick, Maryland), has agreed to conduct characterization studies to advance the development of the company's nanoparticle drug formulation technology.

18 Feb 2010

EntreMed's ENMD-2076 for AML receives FDA's orphan drug designation

EntreMed, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for the Company's lead oncology drug candidate, ENMD-2076, for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

16 Feb 2010

Meda publishes 2009 year-end report

“The Meda Group expects to achieve sales of about SEK 13,000 million and an EBITDA of about SEK 4,200 million for full-year 2009.”

16 Feb 2010

Synta Pharmaceuticals' STA-9090 inhibits WT1 protein in AML

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. today announced that preclinical results presented at the “Bridging the Gap 2010” Hematologic Conference, held in Singapore City, Singapore, February 5-7, 2010, shows that STA-9090, a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), inhibits the Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1) protein, a key transcription factor that drives disease progression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as certain other leukemias. STA-9090 is currently enrolling patients in two clinical trials in AML and other hematologic cancers.

9 Feb 2010

EpiCept announces at-the-market program for selling common stock shares

EpiCept Corporation announced today that it has established an at-the-market program through which it may sell, from time to time and at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $15 million. Maxim Group LLC is acting as sales agent on the program.

6 Feb 2010

EpiCept regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement

EpiCept Corporation today announced that Nasdaq notified the Company that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement in Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and met the requirements of the Nasdaq Listing Qualification Panel (the “Panel”) decision dated November 2, 2009. Accordingly, the Panel has determined to continue the listing of the Company’s common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

3 Feb 2010

VIDAZA prolongs survival in AML patients

The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation says a study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concludes VIDAZA (azacitidine) “prolongs survival and is well tolerated” in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) - an aggressive form of leukemia that in many cases progresses from MDS.

3 Feb 2010

Leukemia cells rely on fatty acid metabolism to grow and evade cell death

Leukemia cells, like most cancers, are addicted to glucose to generate their energy, but new research shows for the first time that these cells also rely on fatty acid metabolism to grow and to evade cell death.

28 Jan 2010

Health Canada approves first post-surgical treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) can now take action at an earlier stage of this rare form of cancer to reduce the risk of their disease returning following surgery. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada announced today that Gleevec* (imatinib mesylate) has received conditional approval by Health Canada for the adjuvant (post-surgical) treatment of adult patients who are at intermediate to high risk of disease recurrence following the surgical removal of GIST.

27 Jan 2010

EpiCept's NP-1 for treatment of PHN receives FDA orphan drug designation

EpiCept Corporation announced today that EpiCeptTM NP-1 has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). NP-1 is a prescription topical analgesic cream designed to provide long-term relief from the pain of peripheral neuropathies.

27 Jan 2010

CytRx announces its plans to advance multiple oncology development programs in 2010

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced its plans for 2010 aimed at advancing the clinical development of its high-value drug development pipeline and enhancing shareholder value.

22 Jan 2010

Medco Health Solutions launches Medco TRC for oncology patients

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced the launch of the Medco Therapeutic Resource Center® (TRC) for oncology patients headquartered in Whitestown, Ind., where specialist pharmacists will manage the company's more than 850,000 patients currently living with cancer, one of the fastest growing segments of healthcare.

21 Jan 2010

Gene variant predisposes humans to develop acute myeloid leukemia, says study

A large international research group led by Dr. Tarik M-r-y, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), has discovered that a variant of the gene "Growth Factor Independence 1" (GFI1) predisposes humans to develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a certain subtype of blood cancer.

20 Jan 2010

Vion Pharmaceuticals files SPA for Onrigin-LDAC combination Phase II/III trial

VION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. announced today that it had filed a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to a randomized Phase II/III trial of its oncology therapeutic Onrigin™ (laromustine) Injection in combination with low-dose Ara-C (LDAC) in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The primary objective for the Phase III part of this study is to determine if Onrigin™ plus LDAC improves overall survival compared with LDAC alone.

12 Jan 2010

Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia may benefit from decitabine drug

Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) might benefit from a drug that reactivates genes that cancer cells turn off, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions.

12 Jan 2010

Meda receives exclusive rights to distribute AML drug in Europe and Asia

Meda has in-licensed exclusive rights to Ceplene (histamine dihydrochloride) from EpiCept Corporation, a US-based biopharmaceutical company.

11 Jan 2010

EpiCept, Meda enter into exclusive commercialization agreement for Ceplene

EpiCept Corporation announced today that it has entered into an exclusive commercialization agreement for Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) with Meda AB, a leading international specialty pharmaceutical company based in Stockholm. Ceplene is EpiCept’s novel therapy approved in the European Union with orphan drug status for the remission maintenance and prevention of relapse of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first remission.

11 Jan 2010