Imatinib mesylate (also called Gleevec® or STI571) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of some forms of adult and pediatric chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and for the treatment of a rare form of cancer called gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
With CML, imatinib works by blocking an abnormal enzyme characteristic of the disease. In GIST, imatinib blocks a different abnormal enzyme found on the tumor cells.
Imatinib is the first approved drug to directly turn off the signal of a protein known to cause a cancer. Other molecular-targeting drugs previously approved by the FDA interfere with proteins associated with other cancers, but not with proteins that directly cause the disease.
Imatinib is being investigated for its effectiveness against other kinds of cancer, as well, including acute lymphocytic leukemia and hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES).
Researchers screened various compounds for anti-viral properties against SARS-CoV-2.
A new phase 2 clinical trial of multiple therapies for severe asthma is underway in Northeast Ohio, with a focus on personalized therapies based on genetics, family history, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Efforts to control health care costs in the United States often focus on the listed prescription drug prices, but a perspective published by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that unregulated pharmacy benefit manager practices also may contribute to escalating expenses.
Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated.
Bayer has announced that a Phase III trial evaluating its oncology compound Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in overall survival. The study, called RESORCE, evaluated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with HCC whose disease has progressed after treatment with sorafenib. The safety and tolerability were generally consistent with the known profile of regorafenib. Detailed efficacy and safety analyses from this study are expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific congress.
The drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) is well known not only for its effectiveness against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but also for the story behinds its development. The drug was specifically designed to target an abnormal molecule--a fusion of two normal cell proteins--that fueled a tumor's growth.
Bayer HealthCare today announced that the company has begun to enroll patients in the COAST trial studying Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with resected liver metastases.
Novartis will present updates on its broad cancer portfolio with more than 240 abstracts at the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting and CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).
Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX) announced today that the European Commission has approved Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
Young women who have cancer treatment often lose their fertility because chemotherapy and radiation can damage or kill their immature ovarian eggs, called oocytes. Now, Northwestern Medicine- scientists have found the molecular pathway that can prevent the death of immature ovarian eggs due to chemotherapy, potentially preserving fertility and endocrine function.
Bayer HealthCare announced today that new data on the oncology portfolio, including Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets, Stivarga (regorafenib) tablets and the recently U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved product Xofigo (radium Ra 223 dichloride) injection will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 31 – June 4, in Chicago, IL (USA).
Bayer HealthCare announced today that patient enrollment is underway for RESORCE (Regorafenib after Sorafenib in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma), an international Phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Stivarga (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have progressed on Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets, an anticancer medicine for the treatment of patients with unresectable HCC.
Professor Alex Matter, Chief Executive Officer of A*STAR's Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC), has been awarded the 8th Annual Szent-Gy-rgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) for his contributions to the development of the first drug specifically targeting a molecular lesion in cancer.
"India's Supreme Court on Monday rejected drug maker Novartis AG's attempt to patent an updated version of a cancer drug in a landmark decision that health activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of lifesaving medicines," the Associated Press reports.
Novartis will highlight more than 140 presentations on key data from its extensive oncology portfolio at the leading year-end scientific meetings devoted to hematology and breast cancer, demonstrating continued innovation in research and development efforts to advance the care of patients with cancer and rare diseases.
Physician-researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported the first effective therapy for a class of previously untreatable and potentially life-threatening tumors often found in children.
Pfizer announced today that the Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion regarding the marketing authorization of axitinib in the European Union (EU), for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of advanced kidney cancer, after failure of prior treatment with sunitinib or a cytokine.
Pfizer Inc announced that the Phase 3 INTORSECT (B1771003) study, evaluating TORISEL(temsirolimus) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whose disease had progressed on or after SUTENT (sunitinib malate) therapy, did not meet the primary endpoint of prolonging progression free survival (PFS) when compared to sorafenib.
Novartis announced today that following a priority review, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved an update to the Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) tablets label to recommend 36 months of treatment after surgery for adult patients with KIT (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who met the risk of recurrence inclusion criteria of the pivotal trial.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation will showcase more than one hundred and sixty presentations on data from its robust oncology portfolio at two key medical congresses this month, demonstrating significant advances for patients with cancers and hematological diseases.