Paclitaxel News and Research

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Paclitaxel is a drug used to treat breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma. It is also used together with another drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer. Paclitaxel is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. It blocks cell growth by stopping cell division and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antimitotic agent. Also called Taxol.

The Paclitaxel compound is extracted from the Pacific yew tree Taxus brevifolia with antineoplastic activity. Paclitaxel binds to tubulin and inhibits the disassembly of microtubules, thereby resulting in the inhibition of cell division. This agent also induces apoptosis by binding to and blocking the function of the apoptosis inhibitor protein Bcl-2 (B-cell Leukemia 2). Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent.

Drug combo gives lung cancer patients longer life

Preliminary results from a large randomized clinical trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), by a network of researchers led by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Genentech, Inc., have shown that patients with previously untreated advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer who received bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with standard chemotherapy lived longer than patients who received the same chemotherapy without bevacizumab.

15 Mar 2005

Bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with standard chemotherapy helps advanced lung cancer sufferers

Preliminary results from a large, randomized clinical trial for patients with previously untreated advanced non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer show that those patients who received bevacizumab (AvastinTM) in combination with standard chemotherapy lived longer than patients who received the same chemotherapy without bevacizumab.

15 Mar 2005

Good results in new lung cancer treatment

Interim analysis of a Phase III study of Avastin (bevacizumab) with paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapies in first-line non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) met its primary goal of improving overall survival, or a reduction in the risk of death, compared to chemotherapy alone.

15 Mar 2005

Stent trial fails to meet endpoints

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals has announced that results from the REALITY Trial, a head-to-head trial sponsored by Cordis Corporation, comparing the JNJ CYPHER® stent and the TAXUS® stent, were presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session. The trial failed to meet its primary endpoint.

7 Mar 2005

Launch date announced for Abraxane to treat metastatic breast cancer

American Pharmaceutical Partners announced today that February 8, 2005 is the launch date of Abraxane for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound). Abraxane will be marketed by the national sales force of Abraxis Oncology, APP's proprietary sales and marketing division.

25 Jan 2005

Abraxane, first in a new class of albumin-bound nanotechnology for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension), a next generation taxane, and the first in a new class of albumin-bound nanotechnology, was approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

9 Jan 2005

FDA approves Abraxane for metastatic breast cancer

American Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. and American Bioscience, Inc. (ABI) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abraxane for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) in metastatic breast cancer.

9 Jan 2005

Paclitaxel may benefit Alzheimer's and Parkinson's movement disorders

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals have announced that a preclinical study published in today's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlights the positive effects of Paxceed on movement disorders commonly seen in diseases known as taupathies, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

27 Dec 2004

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model.

20 Dec 2004

FDA approves Tarceva (erlotinib)

OSI Pharmaceuticals and Genentech have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved, after priority review, Tarceva (erlotinib) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen.

20 Nov 2004

FDA fast tracks investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol

Marshall Edwards today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol, Fast Track status for its intended use in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

4 Nov 2004

CA125 blood test may be superior to standard imaging techniques like CT scans

A new study shows that the CA125 blood test, which measures the level of protein produced by ovarian cancer cells in the blood, may be superior to standard imaging techniques like CT scans in predicting survival in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

13 Sep 2004

More women are surviving advanced breast cancer

Writing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, (Vol. 22, No. 16: 3302-3308), doctors from 3 French hospitals reported on 724 women whose first diagnosis was breast cancer that had spread to other parts of the body (stage 4). It is rare for women to be diagnosed with such late stage disease.

27 Aug 2004

Drug-eluting stents (DES), increasingly used in coronary angioplasty, have benefits over bare-metal stents

A pooled analysis of 11 previously published trials provides evidence that drug-eluting stents (DES)—increasingly used in coronary angioplasty—have benefits over bare-metal stents (BMS) by reducing the need for later revascularisation and reducing the risk of cardiac events

15 Aug 2004

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge helps prevent the growth of cancer cells

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge teams up to enhance the performance of the yew tree derivative Taxol® (paclitaxel) in preventing the growth of cancer cells, according to research published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

15 Jul 2004

European Commission has approved the use of Herceptin® (trastuzumab) in combination with Taxotere®

The approval is based on study results which showed that for women with HER2-positive breast cancer, the combination of Herceptin and Taxotere significantly improved median life expectancy by more than one-third (31 months with Herceptin plus Taxotere vs. 22 months for Taxotere alone).

23 Jun 2004

Genetically engineering viruses to carry a suicide gene into ovarian cancer cells

Genetically engineering viruses to carry a suicide gene into ovarian cancer cells could become a potent way to tackle the disease, a leading Cancer Research UK scientist reveals at a conference in Glasgow today (Tuesday).

22 Jun 2004

Paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells than natural product

Paclitaxel, a natural compound from yew trees, is the world's best-selling anticancer drug. Several analogs are in clinical trial, with others in preclinical development. One problem that paclitaxel and all its analogs share, however, is that they are all highly complex compounds, and cannot be prepared synthetically in a commercially viable way.

21 Jun 2004

Investigational drug Abraxane is active and well tolerated in women with metastatic breast cancer

Investigational drug Abraxane™ (albumin nanoparticle paclitaxel), administered weekly without steroid premedication, is active and well tolerated in women with metastatic breast cancer whose disease had progressed while they were treated with paclitaxel (Taxol®) and/or docetaxel (Taxotere®).

15 Jun 2004

Gemcitabine/paclitaxel combination helps breast cancer patients live longer

Breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer when treated with a new drug, gemcitabine, in combination with paclitaxel, a traditional drug, according to results of a landmark global phase III study

9 Jun 2004