New targeted therapy shows promise in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC

An international study involving Manchester researchers has found that for previously untreated lung cancer patients with a particular genetic change, a new targeted therapy is better than standard chemotherapy.

Some patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have changes in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, which can drive the development of their cancer. A drug recently developed by Pfizer, crizotinib (see structure), targets ALK and is currently given to patients with ALK positive lung cancer when their cancer has worsened after initial chemotherapy. Now doctors have investigated the use of crizotinib in patients with ALK positive lung cancer who have not yet received any chemotherapy treatment.

New targeted therapy shows promise in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC

Fructose more toxic than table sugar, mouse study suggests

When University of Utah biologists fed mice sugar in doses proportional to what many people eat, the fructose-glucose mixture found in high-fructose corn syrup was more toxic than sucrose or table sugar, reducing both the reproduction and lifespan of female rodents.

"This is the most robust study showing there is a difference between high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar at human-relevant doses," says biology professor Wayne Potts, senior author of a new study scheduled for publication in the March 2015 issue ofThe Journal of Nutrition.

The study found no differences in survival, reproduction or territoriality of male mice on the high-fructose and sucrose diets. The researchers say that may be because both sugars are equally toxic to male mice.

Both high-fructose corn syrup found in many processed foods and table sugar found in baked goods contain roughly equal amounts of fructose and glucose. But in corn syrup, they are separate molecules, called monosaccharides. In contrast, sucrose or table sugar is a disaccharide compound formed when fructose and glucose bond chemically.

Potts says the debate over the relative dangers of fructose and sucrose is important "because when the diabetes-obesity-metabolic syndrome epidemics started in the mid-1970s, they corresponded with both a general increase in consumption of added sugar and the switchover from sucrose being the main added sugar in the American diet to high-fructose corn syrup making up half our sugar intake."

James Ruff, the study's first author and a postdoctoral fellow in biology, says, "Our previous work and plenty of other studies have shown that added sugar in general is bad for your health. So first, reduce added sugar across the board. Then worry about the type of sugar, and decrease consumption of products with high-fructose corn syrup."

The new study is the latest in a series that used a new, sensitive toxicity test developed by Potts and colleagues. It allows house mice to compete in the seminatural environment of room-size "mouse barns." Previous mouse studies with the test found harmful effects of inbreeding, the antidepressant Paxil and, last year, an added-sugar diet with fructose and glucose in amounts proportional to a healthy human diet plus three cans of soda daily. These health effects had been missed by conventional tests.

More : http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.202531

Fructose more toxic than table sugar, mouse study suggests 

Cholesterol Drug Vytorin Linked to Reduced Heart Attack Risk

We know that, Ezetimibe/simvastatin  is a drug combination used for the treatment of dyslipidemia. It is a combination of ezetimibe (known as Zetia in the United States and Ezetrol elsewhere) and the statin drug simvastatin (known as Zocor in the U.S.). The combination preparation is marketed by Merck & Co. under the trade names Vytorin and Inegy. Ezetimibe reduces blood cholesterol by acting at the brush border of the small intestine and inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol, leading to a decrease in the delivery of intestinal cholesterol to the liver.

Simvastatin is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor or statin. It works by blocking an enzyme that is necessary for the body to make cholesterol.

FDA Approves 'Abuse-Resistant' Narcotic Painkiller

In continuation of my update on Hydrocodone

Seeking to make it tougher for people to misuse prescription painkillers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new hydrocodone tablet that's designed to help thwart abuse.

Hydrocodone -- best known by the brand name Vicodin (combination of Hydrocodone and Paracetamol) - is a powerful opioid painkiller that has been tied to a surge in dangerous addictions across the United States.

The FDA said that newly approved Hysingla ER (hydrocodone bitartrate) is an extended-release tablet to treat pain severe enough to require daily, round-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment that can't be eased by other pain medications.

The drug is not approved for "as-needed" pain relief, the agency said.

Hysingla has features that are expected to reduce, but not prevent, abuse of the drug. According to the FDA, the tablet is difficult to crush, break or dissolve, making it tougher for abusers to snort or inject it.

FDA Approves 'Abuse-Resistant' Narcotic Painkiller  

Treating Irregular Heartbeat With Digoxin May Come With Risks

In continuation of my update on  Digoxin 

The widely used heart drug digoxin is associated with increased risk of death and hospitalization among patients who have the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation but no evidence of heart failure, a new study finds.

Atrial fibrillation is a common form of irregular heartbeat that has been linked to a rise in risk for stroke among older Americans. Digoxin has been used for more than a century to help treat irregular heartbeat, the authors of the new study said, and many guidelines recommend the drug for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

However, the new findings "suggest that the use of digoxin should be re-evaluated for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in contemporary clinical practice," study co-author Dr. Anthony Steimle, chief of cardiology at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, said in a Kaiser news release.

One expert wasn't surprised by the findings.

Treating Irregular Heartbeat With Digoxin May Come With Risks  

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

In continuation of my update on Sofosbuvir (left) and  Simeprevir (right)

Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP (Janssen) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Olysio (simeprevir), a hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor, in combination with sofosbuvir as an all-oral, interferon- and ribavirin-free treatment option for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection in adult patients as part of a combination antiviral treatment regimen. Sofosbuvir is an HCV nucleotide analog NS5B polymerase inhibitor developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Basilea reports granting of U.S. orphan drug designation to isavuconazole for the treatment of invasive candidiasis

In continuation of my up date on isavuconazole

Isavuconazole (BAL4815) is an experimental triazole antifungal. Its prodrug, isavuconazonium sulfate (BAL8557) is currently in two Phase III clinical trials (SECURE and VITAL), the results of which are expected in the second half of 2013. 

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. reports today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to isavuconazole for the treatment of invasive candidiasis/candidemia, a potentially life-threatening infection caused by Candida yeasts. Isavuconazole has previously been granted orphan drug status in the European Union and the U.S. for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis.

Basilea reports granting of U.S. orphan drug designation to isavuconazole for the treatment of invasive candidiasis

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Savaysa (edoxaban) for Reduction of Embolic Events in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Edoxaban (INN, codenamed DU-176b, trade name Lixiana) is an anticoagulant drug which acts as a direct factor Xa inhibitor. It is being developed by Daiichi Sankyo. It was approved in July 2011 in Japan for prevention of venous thromboembolisms (VTE) following lower-limb orthopedic surgery.

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9 to 1 to recommend approval of once-daily Savaysa (edoxaban) 60 mg dosing regimen for the reduction in risk of stroke and systemic embolic events (SEE) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Members of the committee also provided their opinions on the use of Savaysa.

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Savaysa (edoxaban) for Reduction of Embolic Events in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

FDA Approves sNDA for Invega Sustenna (paliperidone palmitate) for Schizoaffective Disorder

We know that, Paliperidone (trade name Invega), also known as 9-hydroxyrisperidone, is a dopamine antagonist and 5-HT_2A antagonist of the atypical antipsychotic class of medications. It is developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica. Invega is an extended release formulation of paliperidone that uses the OROS extended release system to allow for once-daily dosing.

Paliperidone palmitate (trade name Invega Sustenna, named Xeplion in Europe and other countries) is a long-acting injectable formulation of paliperidone palmitoyl ester indicated for once-monthly injection after an initial titration period. Paliperidone is used to treat mania and at lower doses as maintenance for bipolar disorder. It is also used for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) for the once-monthly atypical long-acting antipsychotic Invega Sustenna (paliperidone palmitate) to treat schizoaffective disorder as either monotherapy or adjunctive therapy. The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder are complex and, without treatment, disabling. The FDA approved these sNDAs under priority review, which is a designation for drugs that, if approved, would offer significant improvement in the treatment of serious conditions.

FDA Approves sNDA for Invega Sustenna (paliperidone palmitate) for Schizoaffective Disorder

GABA injections prevent and reverse Type 1 diabetes in mice

A chemical produced in the pancreas that prevented and even reversed Type 1 diabetes in mice had the same effect on human beta cells transplanted into mice, new research has found. GABA, or gamma-aminobutryic acid, is an amino acid produced by the same beta cells that make and secrete insulin. 

Drs. Gerald Prud'homme and Qinghua Wang of the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Sciences of St. Michael's Hospital published a paper in 2011 showing for the first time that GABA injections not only prevented Type 1 diabetes in mice, but even reversed the disease.

A new paper published (Nov. 29) in the December issue of Diabetes shows GABA does the same thing in mice who have been injected with human pancreatic cells.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is characterized by the immune system's destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body makes little or no insulin. The only conventional treatment for Type 1 diabetes is insulin injection, but insulin is not a cure as it does not prevent or reverse the loss of beta cells.

Drs. Prud'homme and Wang also found that GABA vastly improved the survival rate of pancreatic cells when they were being transplanted into mice. About 70 per cent of pancreatic cells die between the time the organ is harvested and transplanted. The researchers said their finding could lead to future research specifically related to pancreatic transplants.

GABA injections prevent and reverse Type 1 diabetes in mice

Avanir Pharmaceuticals Announces Preliminary Feedback from the FDA on AVP-825 for the Acute Treatment of Migraine

We know that, Sumatriptan is a synthetic drug belonging to the triptan class, used for the treatment of migraine headaches. Structurally, it is an analog of the naturally occurring neuro-active alkaloids dimethyltryptamine (DMT), bufotenine, and 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine, with an N-methyl sulfonamidomethyl- group at position C-5 on the indole ring

Now Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNR) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued preliminary written feedback to its New Drug Application (NDA) for AVP-825. AVP-825 is a drug-device combination product consisting of low-dose sumatriptan powder, delivered intranasally utilizing a novel Breath Powered delivery technology. The FDA has raised questions regarding the human factor validation study data submitted as part of the NDA. Human factor testing focuses on the interactions between people and devices. The goal of human factor testing is to evaluate use-related risks and confirm that users can use the device safely and effectively. Although the NDA review is ongoing, Avanir has concluded, at this time, that approval of AVP-825 may be unlikely by the PDUFA date of November, 26, 2014

Avanir Pharmaceuticals Announces Preliminary Feedback from the FDA on AVP-825 for the Acute Treatment of Migraine

Experimental anti-cancer drugs PF-04691502 and PD-0325901 excel against colorectal cancer models

Genes make proteins and proteins tell your body's cells what to do: one talks to the next, which talks to the next, and to the next. Like a game of telephone, researchers call these  "signaling pathways". Abnormalities in these signaling pathways can cause the growth and survival of cancer cells. Commonly, mutations or rearrangements of genes in the MAPK  signaling pathway create cancer's fast growth, and alterations in the PI3K signaling pathway allow cancer cells to survive into virtual immortality.

Of course, researchers have extensively targeted these two signaling pathways, designing drugs that turn on or off genes in these pathways, thus interrupting the transmission of cancer-causing signals. Unfortunately, these pathways have proven difficult to drug and also it has been difficult to show the effectiveness of drugs that successfully interrupt the transmission of signals along these pathways.

A study by the University of Colorado Cancer Center published in the journal PLoS ONE and concurrent phase I clinical trial is examining a new strategy: targeting both these important cancer-causing pathways simultaneously.

"Well, these two pathways are mutated frequently in cancer. Why not hit both of them? It was as simplistic as that," says Todd Pitts, MS, research instructor in the Program for the Evaluation of Targeted Therapies, and the study's first author.

The study used colorectal cancer tumors grown on mice from samples of patient tumors, called "patient-derived xenograft" models. To these tumors, Pitts and colleagues added the experimental anti-cancer drugs PF-04691502 (left structure) and PD-0325901 (right structure), the first of which mutes a link in the PI3K signaling pathway and the second of which mutes a link in the MAPK signaling pathway. In this case, the combination was greater than the sum of the parts - alone, PF-04691502 and PD-0325901 modestly inhibit the growth and survival of colorectal cancer in these models; after 30-day exposure to the combination, colorectal cancer cells were killed much more effectively than by either drug alone, and even more effectively than if you added together the cells killed by each drug alone.

Experimental anti-cancer drugs PF-04691502 and PD-0325901 excel against colorectal cancer models

Scientists devise powerful algorithm to improve effectiveness of research technology harnessing RNAi

In continuation of my update on RNAi

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have devised a powerful algorithm that improves the effectiveness of an important research technology harnessing RNA interference, or RNAi.

Discovered in the late 1990s, RNAi is a naturally occurring biological mechanism in which short RNA molecules bind to and "interfere" with messages sent by genes that contain instructions for protein production. Such interference can prevent a gene from being expressed. In addition to helping regulate gene expression, the RNAi pathway in many species, including humans, acts to defend the genome from parasitic viruses and transposons.

Harnessed by scientists since the mid-2000s, RNAi has provided a way to artificially "knock down" the expression of specific genes. By preventing a gene or genes from being activated in a model organism such as a mouse, for instance, much can be learned by inference about gene function. RNAi-based technology also has been extremely useful as tool in drug discovery.

Scientists devise powerful algorithm to improve effectiveness of research technology harnessing RNAi

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of Bozepinib drug against cancerogenic stem cells

An Andalusian team of researchers led by the University of Granada has demonstrated the efficacy of a new drug against cancerogenic stem cells, which cause the onset and development of cancer, of relapse after chemotherapy and metastasis. This drug, called Bozepinib, has proved to be effective in tests with mice. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Oncotarget.

Cancerogenic stem cells appear in small quantities in tumours, and one of their important features is that they contribute to the formation of metastasis in different places within the original tumour. Cancerogenic stem cells remain dormant under normal conditions (i.e. they do not divide). Conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy act upon those cancer cells which are clearly differentiated—i.e. which are undergoing processes of division—but they cannot destroy these dormant cancerogenic stem cells. Actually, after a positive initial response to treatment, many cancer patients suffer a relapse because these cancerogenic stem cells have not been destroyed.

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of Bozepinib drug against cancerogenic stem cells

Experimental drug works best when patients' immune cells surrounding tumors express PD-L1

A promising experimental immunotherapy drug works best in patients whose immune defenses initially rally to attack the cancer but then are stymied by a molecular brake that shuts down the response, according to a new study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Yale University School of Medicine.

The antibody drug, known as MPDL3280A, inhibits the brake protein, PD-L1, reviving the response by immune killer T cells, which target and destroy the cancer cells. In recent clinical trials, the PD-L1 checkpoint blocker caused impressive shrinkage of kidney, melanoma, and lung tumors. But, as with other immunotherapy drugs, many patients saw no benefit.

Researchers report in the November 27 edition of Nature that the antibody was most effective when the patients' immune cells surrounding tumors expressed PD-L1 - a sign that a pre-existing immune response had been shut down by PD-L1. There was less tumor shrinkage in patients who never developed an immune response to the cancer - and, as a result, had less PD-L1 in the cancer and surrounding tissues.

"I think this is a launching point to use these findings as a predictive biomarker," said F. Stephen Hodi, MD, of Dana-Farber, senior author of the report. Hodi directs the Center for Immuno-Oncology and the Melanoma Treatment Center at Dana-Farber. First author is Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, chief of Medical Oncology at the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The scientists studied tumor tissue samples from 175 patients treated in clinical trials with MPDL3280A for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer, and other cancers. On average, 18 percent of the patients had complete or partial shrinkage of their tumors, with higher or lower rates in different cancer types. Overall, the treatment was well-tolerated, with few severe side-effects, the report said.

Ref : http://meetinglibrary.asco.org/content/83740?media=vm

Experimental drug works best when patients' immune cells surrounding tumors express PD-L1