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GLG News by this Author
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Cervical Cancer Vaccines: Hope or Hype?
August 21, 2008
Drug Makers’ Push Leads to Cancer Vaccines’ Fast Rise | www.nytimes.com
Cervical cancer vaccines manufactured by Merck and Glaxo have been hyped, pushed and if the companies have their way, mandated by various states and organizations. (Who is benefiting? Patients or the politicians?) There are many unanswered questions but marketing and mandates press on!
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Sunitinib vs Interferon: No contest at the onset
August 20, 2008
Economic Evaluation of Sunitinib Malate for the First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma | jco.ascopubs.org
When using a model (of whose desin?) Pfizer's Sunitinib (Sutent) was found to be cost effective by Pfizer people? Surprise!!!
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Cole & Pfizer: Happy together in NSCLCA (non small cell lung cancer)
August 19, 2008
"The investigator-assessed objective response rate (complete and partial response), including both confirmed and unconfirmed responses, was 38% in the PF-3512676 plus chemotherapy arm and 19% in the chemotherapy-alone arm (P = .043)." In other words. IT MAY WORK!
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"Health-care costs are expected to rise more than 10% ".... and we can continue this for how long??
August 13, 2008
Insurers Expect Health-Care Costs To Rise More Than 10% Next Year | online.wsj.com
10% increase in medical spending when the overall cost of living is 1/2 of medical costs and we are happy??
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Fair or Unfair Decision: the cost of the drugs for kidney cancer is more than the economy can bear.
August 11, 2008
UK Says Kidney Cancer Drugs Are Too Pricey | www.pharmalot.com
Pfizer’s Sutent, Wyeth’s Torisel, Bayer’s Nexavar and Avastin, sold by Roche and Genentech have been deemed too expensive to be paid for by UK agencies
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Salmonella; Cancer cells?? Let's not get carried away
August 7, 2008
Salmonella Is Tested To Fight Cancer Cells | online.wsj.com
Salmonella targeting cancer cells? In humans???
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Boy will this p.... off Urologists as well as AARP!
August 6, 2008
Panel Urges End to Prostate Screening at Age 75 | www.nytimes.com
Since treatment may be worse than the disease it is being recommended that routine prostate cancer screening be stopped after the age of 75.
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Amgen and J & J: Not hurt as much as we had predicted.
July 31, 2008
Amgen Told to Reword Drug Label | www.nytimes.com
Amgens Aranesp sales fell 26% and J & J's Procrit sales fell 23%."Yaron Werber, a biotechnology analyst at Citi Investment Research, estimated that the new label could reduce the use of Aranesp for cancer patients in this country — the drug is also used by people with kidney disease — by an additional 40 percent, further cutting annual sales by about $264 million" The FDA is holding to no drug unless the hemoglobin is < 10 grams and a hemoglobin of 12 is no longer acceptable.
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Lung Cancer Screening: Here we go again.
July 31, 2008
Corrections Weaken Cancer Study | online.wsj.com
Lung cancer screening does not appear to prevent death at least in this study.
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Avastin use in breast ca in the EU? No surprise but does it prolong survival?? Who is the winner??
July 29, 2008
Roche Files Avastin for Wider Label in EU | www.therapeuticsdaily.com
"The filing is supported by data from the phase III Avado trial, which investigated Avastin in combination with docetaxel compared wwith docetaxel alone in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer, Roche said in a statement."
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Sorafenib (Bayer) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): already factored in!
July 24, 2008
Sorafenib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma | content.nejm.org
Sorafenib increases time to progression and median survival in HCC. (World wide a major neoplasm)
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I know, there is no money in diagnostics, BUT.......
July 24, 2008
Detection of Mutations in EGFR in Circulating Lung-Cancer Cells | content.nejm.org
Peripheral blood in patients with metastatic non small cell lung cancer (NSCLCA) can determine the presence of EGFR mutations in circulating cancer cells that will reveal sensitivity to TKI's- Erbitux (ImClone & BMS), Tarceva (Genentech) and even Iressa (AZ).
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Erbitux (BMS/ImClone) in Lung Ca: Finally some meat??
July 24, 2008
Lung cancer patients who have increased gene copies of EGFR do better with Cetuximab than do those who do not.
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Is Alimta (Lilly) the answer? (What is the question?)
July 21, 2008
Phase III Study Comparing Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine With Cisplatin Plus Pemetrexed in Chemotherapy-Naive Patients With Advanced-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer | jco.ascopubs.org
Individualizing chemotherapy depending on histology (adenocarcinomas) shows that Alimta/CisPlatin appears to be more convenient and less toxic than its stablemate Gemzar.
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As if Rituxan (Genentech/Biogen) needed another market?
July 21, 2008
Rituximab and Intravenous Immune Globulin for Desensitization during Renal Transplantation | content.nejm.org
For patients with antibodies that may make renal transplants problematic, Rituxan may make them possible!
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Notice the US is not part of the discussion?
July 14, 2008
Glaxo Seeks Guidance From Health Systems | online.wsj.com
GSK is discussing drug development with European countries and not the US. Implications???
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Medicare fee cuts: Saved by someone who may appreciate the significance........
July 10, 2008
Bill to Block Medicare-Fee Cuts | online.wsj.com
Medicare will not cut physicians fees but will cut payments in HMO driven Medicare "advantage" plans. This means that the republicans will be unable to "feather the nest" of their insurer friends!
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Further evidence that government intervention is around the corner
July 9, 2008
Pricey Drugs Put Squeeze on Doctors | online.wsj.com
Chemotherapy drugs are so costly that not only are the patients unable to pay co-pays, but oncologists are laying out hundreds of thousands of dollars with only a promise they will be reimbursed.
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What ever happens I can assure you the Doctors will be f........
July 8, 2008
Clash on Preventing Cut to Doctor Payments | online.wsj.com
11% drop in physician re-imbursement vs HMO sponsored Medicare "advantage" programs. Who will win out?
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Cost vs Efficacy: A conundrum for insurers, physicians and patients.
July 7, 2008
Costly Cancer Drug Offers Hope, but Also a Dilemma | www.nytimes.com
Extraordinarily expensive Avastin makes all think twice before using, due to ?? efficacy data as well as questions re: quality of life v survival benefits.
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