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).

RTOG phase II clinical trial of Bevacizumab (Avastin) shows positive results for treatment of cervical cancer

An article published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics reports results of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) phase II clinical trial of Bevacizumab (Avastin) in addition to cisplatin and pelvic radiation for locally advanced cervical cancer.

16 Jan 2014

Biothera reports positive results from Phase 2 clinical trial of Imprime PGG in NSCLC patients

Biothera today reported positive results from its proof of concept Phase 2 clinical trial in 90 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the American Association for Cancer Research and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer joint conference on the Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer in San Diego.

8 Jan 2014

Neuro-Oncology publishes promising phase 2 results from Agenus’ brain cancer vaccine study

Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel immune system activating treatments for cancers and infectious diseases, today announced results published from a Phase 2 study demonstrated that more than 90% of the patients treated with Prophage Series G-200 were alive at six months after surgery and 30% were alive at twelve months.

17 Dec 2013

Glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with experimental vaccine show improved survival

Patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with an experimental vaccine made from the patient's own resected tumor tissue showed an improved survival compared with historical patients who received the standard of care alone, according to an analysis of a phase 2 trial of this vaccine that was recently published in the journal Neuro-Oncology and accompanied by an editorial highlighting the importance of the trial.

16 Dec 2013

Drugmaker pushes new drug over cheaper equivalent at Medicare's expense

The Washington Post explores the public impact of doctors' decisions to choose a more expensive drug to prevent blindness despite trials showing the drug is equivalent to a much cheaper product.

9 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 9, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about new sticker-shock concerns over costs for coverage purchased through the health law's new online insurance marketplaces.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers find correlation between biomarker and patient’s ability to respond to Imprime PGG

Biothera researchers have broadened their understanding of a biomarker that may enable doctors to predict which cancer patients will best respond to Imprime PGG®, the company's immunotherapy in Phase 3 drug development for colorectal cancer.

5 Dec 2013

Phase 1/2 clinical trial data for VAL-083 in glioblastoma is presented at 18th Annual SNO meeting

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB: DMPI) ("DelMar" and "DelMar Pharma") today announced the presentation of interim data from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for VAL-083 in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) at the 4th Quadrennial Meeting of the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology (WFNO) being held in conjunction with the 18th Annual Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) meeting in San Francisco.

25 Nov 2013

Biothera announces top-line results from Phase 2b clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer

Biothera announced today top-line results from its Phase 2b clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that evaluated its immunotherapeutic drug candidate, Imprime PGG®, with cetuximab (Erbitux®), carboplatin and paclitaxel compared with the monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy combination alone.

5 Nov 2013

Researchers identify possible causes of colorectal cancer resistance to bevacizumab drug

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal PLOS ONE shows that when colorectal cancer is targeted by the drug bevacizumab (Avastin), tumors may switch dependence from VEGF-A, which is targeted by the drug, to related growth factors in including VEGF-C, VEGF-D and placental growth factor.

29 Oct 2013

Promising technique for treating eye disease proves effective in preclinical studies

A promising technique for treating human eye disease has proven effective in preclinical studies and may lead to new treatments to prevent blindness, according to experiments conducted at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

23 Oct 2013

MRFBC launches clinical trial to assess impact of bevacizumab and vemurafenib in melanoma patients

The Melanoma Research Foundation Breakthrough Consortium has launched a new clinical trial to assess the impact of concomitant administration of bevacizumab (Avastin) with vemurafenib (Zelboraf) in patients with BRAFV600 mutation positive metastatic melanoma.

8 Oct 2013

Roche Signs Up To $422.5M Collaboration With Inovio

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10 Sep 2013

Phase II trial to investigate vaccine therapy combined with Avastin for patients with recurrent GBM

Northwestern Medicine- recently joined a landmark clinical trial to investigate if a vaccine made from a patient's own brain tumor is effective in slowing tumor progression and extending survival.

16 Aug 2013

IVAN study: Lucentis and Avastin effective in treating wet AMD

An anti-cancer drug has been proven to be equally as effective in treating the most common cause of blindness in older adults as a more expensive drug specifically formulated for this purpose.

20 Jul 2013

UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center named one of nation's top 12 cancer centers

UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center is ranked among the top 12 cancer centers in the nation, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey of board-certified physicians from across the country. The survey reviewed patient outcomes, the cancer center's reputation among physicians, mortality rates and other care-related factors.

17 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Disability insurance 'time bomb;' Leavitt on the lessons of Medicare Part D's rollout; Boys and eating disorders

Social Security for retirement and Medicare are the best known of the major entitlement programs with looming financial disasters. While some argue about when they will run out of money, their projected 75-year unfunded liabilities grow larger every year and now total $40 trillion, much worse thereafter. But the ticking time bomb of entitlement reform is Social Security's Disability Insurance Fund (Michael J. Boskin, 7/14).

16 Jul 2013

Eylea can ease vision problems for wet AMD patients

There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older Americans. Last year, the National Institutes of Health reported that two drugs injected into the eyes, Avastin and Lucentis, eased symptoms for sufferers, especially those in the advanced, "wet" stage of the disease, when blood vessels in the eye become swollen and leak fluids in the eye.

19 Jun 2013

Early detection methods can help cure cervical cancer

Cervical cancer, a disease that will affect more than 12,000 women in the United States this year and more than a half million women worldwide, leads to significantly fewer deaths when effective early detection methods are available, either via a Pap smear or with a test for presence of the human papilloma virus.

4 Jun 2013

Research: Bevacizumab fails to increase overall survival for glioblastoma patients

The angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin) failed to increase overall survival (OS) or statistically significant progression-free survival (PFS) for glioblastoma patients in the frontline setting, according to research led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

3 Jun 2013