Phase III Trial of Regorafenib in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Meets Primary Endpoint of Improving Overall Survival...

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, announced the results from its Phase III trial evaluating its investigational compound regorafenib (see structure below, BAY 73-4506) for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) whose disease has progressed after approved standard therapies: The trial met its primary endpoint of statistically significant improvement in overall survival. 

This is the result of a pre-planned interim analysis conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) of the CORRECT (Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with regorafenib or placebo after failure of standard t herapy) trial. Per the recommendation of the DMC, the study has been unblinded and patients in the placebo arm will be offered treatment with regorafenib. In this trial, the safety and tolerability of regorafenib were generally as expected.

"These data are significant because they demonstrate that regorafenib increased overall survival in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer, an area of high unmet medical need," said Kemal Malik .....

Ref : http://www.bayer.com/en/news-detail.aspx?newsid=15124

Researcher's compound disables bacteria instead of killing them

A microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has discovered a different approach: Instead of killing the bacteria, why not disarm them, quashing disease without the worry of antibiotic resistance?

Ching-Hong Yang, associate professor of biological sciences, has developed a compound that shuts off the "valve" in a pathogen's DNA that allows it to invade and infect. The research is so promising that two private companies are testing it with an eye toward commercialization.

"Researchers analyzed the genomic defense pathways in plants to identify all the precursors to infection and  used the information to discover a group of novel small molecules that interrupt one channel in the intricate pathway system."..

Yang and collaborator Xin Chen, a professor of chemistry at Changzhou University in China, have tested the compound on two virulent bacteria that affect plants and one that attacks humans. They found it effective against all three and believe the compound can be applied to treatments for plants, animals and people.

Ref : Ching-Hong Yang et.al., 

WPI Research Shows How Cranberry Juice Fights Bacteria at the Molecular Level

The study tested proanthocyanidins or PACs, a group of flavonoids found in cranberries. Because they were thought to be the ingredient that gives the juice its infection-fighting properties, PACs have been considered a hopeful target for an effective extract. The new WPI report, however, shows that cranberry juice, itself, is far better at preventing biofilm formation, which is the precursor of infection, than PACs alone. The data is reported in the paper "Impact of Cranberry Juice and Proanthocyanidins on the Ability of Escherichia coli to Form Biofilms," which will be published on-line, ahead of print on Oct. 31, 2011, by the journal Food Science and Biotechnology.

WPI Research Shows How Cranberry Juice Fights Bacteria at the Molecular Level

New dual drug combinations in development for various cancers

New dual drug combinations in development for various cancers: A rarely used—and as yet largely unproven—approach to drug development has emerged as a significant tool in the effort to create high-impact new cancer drugs.

New data on novel gene-silencing oligonucleotide technology...

Idera announced new data on its novel gene-silencing oligonucleotide (GSO) technology at the Cell Symposium on Regulatory RNAs in Chicago, IL. In preclinical studies, systemic delivery of GSOs targeted to ApoB or PCSK9 mRNA caused a reduction in the level of the targeted mRNA and associated protein and resulted in a decrease in serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentration. ApoB and PCSK9 are two validated targets associated with cardiovascular diseases.

In this study, Idera created 19mer GSOs for apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) mRNA and evaluated their in vivo activity in mice following subcutaneous administration. The data demonstrate that treatment with each GSO led to a significant reduction in the concentration of the target associated mRNAs and protein. The effects were specific, with no significant effects being observed on ABCA1, ABCG1 or LXR mRNA levels. In addition, treatment with GSOs for either ApoB or PCSK9 resulted in a decrease in total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. 

More...

Yawning May Help the Brain Chill Out

Yawning May Help the Brain Chill Out: Yawning may be a natural way of regulating brain temperature, a new study suggests.U.S. researchers examined the frequency of yawns among 80 people in the winter and another 80 people in the summer and found seasonal...

HSV1 drugs could slow progression of Alzheimer's disease

HSV1 drugs could slow progression of Alzheimer's disease: Antiviral drugs used to target the herpes virus could be effective at slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a new study shows.

New Alzheimer's Drug Shows Early Promise

An experimental Alzheimer's disease drug, gantenerumab, may help lower levels of amyloid plaque in the brains of people with the disease, an early clinical trial indicates. Researchers claims that, of 16 people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, those who received two to seven infusions of the experimental drug every four weeks showed marked reductions in the amount of plaque in their brains via imaging tests that were conducted several months after their treatments.....

More...

Ginger Supplements Might Ease Inflammation Linked to Colon Cancer..

A small, preliminary study finds that ginger root supplements seem to reduce inflammation in the intestines  a potential sign that the pills might reduce the risk of colon cancer. Previous research in animals has suggested that ginger can reduce inflammation but isn't potentially toxic to the stomach like aspirin, Zick noted. And scientists have linked chronic inflammation in the gut to colon cancer, suggesting that easing this inflammation could reduce the risk of the disease.

In the new study, Zick's team randomly assigned 30 people to take pills containing 2 grams of ground ginger root extract or a "dummy" placebo pill each day for 28 days. They measured the level of inflammation in the participants' intestines before and after the test period. The researchers found that the level of inflammation in the subjects who took the ginger pills fell by an average of 28 percent, while staying about the same in those who took the placebo.

Ref : http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/07/1940-6207.CAPR-11-0224.abstract

Teriflunomide drug reduces relapse rate of people with MS

 In continuation of my update on  Teriflunomide
A new oral drug has been shown in a large international clinical trial to significantly reduce the relapse rate of people with multiple sclerosis and to slow the progression of the disease.

More....

First combination drug to treat type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol receives FDA approval

In continuation of my update on Simvastin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Juvisync (sitagliptin and simvastatin), a fixed-dose combination (FDC) prescription medication that contains two previously approved medicines in one tablet for use in adults who need both sitagliptin and simvastatin.....

More....

Blueberry powder may control triple negative breast cancer

In continuation of my update on blue berry's usefulness....

Blueberry powder may control triple negative breast cancer: In several studies recently conducted at the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope, Duarte, CA researchers found that feeding blueberry powder to mice significantly reduced the growth and spread of triple negative breast cancer cells, a very aggressive form of cancer.

Health Canada approves Trajenta (linagliptin) for type 2 diabetes

Linagliptin (below structure, BI-1356, trade name Tradjenta) is a DPP-4 inhibitor developed by Boehringer Ingelheim for treatment of type II diabetes.Linagliptin (once-daily) was approved by the US FDA on 2 May 2011 for treatment of type II diabetes. It is being marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly. Linagliptin is an inhibitor of DPP-4, an enzyme that degrades the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Both GLP-1 and GIP increase insulin biosynthesis and secretion from pancreatic beta cells in the presence of normal and elevated blood glucose levels. GLP-1 also reduces glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells, resulting in a reduction in hepatic glucose output. Thus, linagliptin stimulates the release of insulin in a glucose-dependent manner and decreases the levels of glucagon in the circulation.

Now Health Canada approves....

More...

Novel drug shows promise for MLL leukemia

Novel drug shows promise for MLL leukemia:

According to British scientists a potential new drug from GlaxoSmithKline could treat mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL). MLL is the most common form of leukemia in babies. The study appeared in the journal Nature where scientists from the British drugmaker collaborating with the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Cellzome AG found that the experimental drug, called I-BET151.

More......

Ref : http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10509.html

Drug Shows Promise Against Deadly Lung Disease

 An experimental drug may offer a thin ray of hope to people suffering from the rapidly fatal lung disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The compound, currently known only as BIBF 1120 (see structure below : Vargatef™), seems to slow the disease, decrease exacerbations and improve quality of life for patients, according to a study funded by the drug's maker, Boehringer Ingelheim.

  "It improves the course of disease and, in my opinion, it's the first drug to significantly ameliorate the really devastating progression of the disease," 

said Dr. Norman Edelman, (chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, who noted that current treatments for the disease "are almost desperation attempts. There's very little evidence they work)..."

Authors don't claim [BIBF 1120] is going to reverse the disease. They claim it's going to slow it down, but even that is a major factor. 

Patients with IPF usually die within two to three years of diagnosis. While the disease used to be considered relatively rare, Edelman noted that doctors have been noticing an uptick in recent ears, especially among older men. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) involves a relentless stiffening of the lungs due to overproduction of collagen, the "cement" that holds lung tissue together. 

More : http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1103690