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DRUG APPROVALS BY DR ANTHONY MELVIN CRASTO
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Gilead Submits NDA to FDA for Sofosbuvir for the Treatment of Hepatitis C
Sofosbuvir
Isopropyl (2S)-2-[[[(2R,3R,4R,5R)-5-(2,4-dioxopyrimidin-1-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-tetrahydrofuran-2-yl]methoxy-phenoxy-phosphoryl]amino]propanoate
9 APRIL 2013
Gilead Sciences today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of sofosbuvir, a once-daily oral nucleotide analogue for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The data submitted in this NDA support the use of sofosbuvir and ribavirin (RBV) as an all-oral therapy for patients with genotype 2 and 3 HCV infection, and for sofosbuvir in combination with RBV and pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) for treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1, 4, 5 and 6 HCV infection.
Chronic HCV infection affects up to four million Americans, particularly individuals born between 1946 and 1964. The disease is the leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplantation in the United States. Treatment for HCV currently includes 24-48 weeks of therapy with peg-IFN, which has to be injected and is associated with significant side effects, leaving some patients unable to complete therapy. If approved, sofosbuvir would shorten HCV therapy to 12 to 16 weeks, and depending on the genotype, would either eliminate or reduce the duration of peg-IFN injections.
“Current therapies are not suitable for large numbers of patients with HCV infection, and are challenging to take and tolerate,” said John C. Martin, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. “Sofosbuvir’s antiviral potency, safety profile and once-daily administration have the potential to improve cure rates by simplifying and shortening therapy for patients with this disease.”
The sofosbuvir NDA is supported primarily by data from four phase 3 studies, NEUTRINO, FISSION, POSITRON and FUSION, in which 12 or 16 weeks of sofosbuvir-based therapy was found to be superior or non-inferior to currently available treatment options or historical controls, based on the proportion of patients who had a sustained virologic response (HCV undetectable) 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12). Patients who achieve SVR12 are considered cured of HCV.
Gilead plans to file for regulatory approval of sofosbuvir in other geographies, including the European Union, in the second quarter of 2013. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted Gilead’s request for accelerated assessment for sofosbuvir, a designation that is granted to new medicines of major public health interest. Accelerated assessment could shorten the EMA’s review time of sofosbuvir by two months. Granting of accelerated assessment does not guarantee a positive opinion from the CHMP or approval by the European Commission.
Sofosbuvir (formerly PSI-7977 or GS-7977) is an experimental drug candidate for the treatment of hepatitis C.[1] It was discovered at Pharmasset and then acquired for development by Gilead Sciences. It is currently in Phase III clinical trials.[2]
Sofosbuvir is a prodrug that is metabolized to the active antiviral agent 2′-deoxy-2′-α-fluoro-β-C-methyluridine-5′-monophosphate.[3]
Sofosbuvir is a nucleotide analogue inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase.[4] The HCV polymerase or NS5B protein is a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase critical for the viral cycle.
Sofosbuvir is being studied in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, with ribavirin alone, and with other direct-acting antiviral agents.[5] It has shown excellent clinical efficacy when used either with pegylated interferon/ribavirin or in interferon-free combinations. In particular, combinations of sofosbuvir with NS5A inhibitors, such as daclatasvir or GS-5885, have shown sustained virological response rates of up to 100% in people infected with HCV.[6]
- Sofia, M. J.; Bao, D.; Chang, W.; Du, J.; Nagarathnam, D.; Rachakonda, S.; Reddy, P. G.; Ross, B. S. et al. (2010). “Discovery of a β-d-2′-Deoxy-2′-α-fluoro-2′-β-C-methyluridine Nucleotide Prodrug (PSI-7977) for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus”. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 53 (19): 7202–7218. doi:10.1021/jm100863x. PMID 20845908. edit
- “PSI-7977″. Gilead Sciences.
- Murakami, E.; Tolstykh, T.; Bao, H.; Niu, C.; Steuer, H. M. M.; Bao, D.; Chang, W.; Espiritu, C. et al. (2010). “Mechanism of Activation of PSI-7851 and Its Diastereoisomer PSI-7977″. Journal of Biological Chemistry 285 (45): 34337–34347. doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.161802. PMC 2966047. PMID 20801890. edit
- Alejandro Soza (November 11, 2012). “Sofosbuvir”. Hepaton.
- Tom Murphy (November 21, 2011). “Gilead Sciences to buy Pharmasset for $11 billion”. Bloomberg Businessweek.
- http://www.gilead.com/pr_1757156
- AASLD: PSI-7977 plus Ribavirin Can Cure Hepatitis C in 12 Weeks without Interferon. Highleyman, L. HIVandHepatitis.com. 8 November 2011.
- Nucleotide Polymerase Inhibitor Sofosbuvir plus Ribavirin for Hepatitis C. Gane, E et al. New England Journal of Medicine 368:3444. January 3, 2013.
- CROI 2013: Sofosbuvir + Ledipasvir + Ribavirin Combo for HCV Produces 100% Sustained Response. Highleyman, L. HIVandHepatitis.com. 4 March 2013.
Lundbeck has presented promising data on Brintellix, its recently-filed investigational antidepressant co-developed with Takeda.
vortioxetine
9 APRIL 2013
Lundbeck has presented promising data on Brintellix, its recently-filed investigational antidepressant co-developed with Takeda.
Vortioxetine (code name Lu AA21004) is an experimental drug currently under development by Lundbeck and Takeda for the treatment of major depressive disorder(MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).Commercial name chosen is Brintellix.
Regulatory approval for the treatment of MDD for the European market has been filed in September 2012, for the United States in October 2012, and filing for Canada should follow. Filing for the Japanese market is expected in 2013
The Danish drugmaker announced results for the REVIVE study which compared Brintellix (vortioxetine) with Servier’s Valdoxan (agomelatine), Servier’s in adults with major depression (MDD) who changed antidepressant after an inadequate response to commonly-prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Lundbeck noted that as one of the newest antidepressants, agomelatine was chosen as a comparator because of its different mode of action from conventional SSRI/SNRI therapies.
Lundbeck noted that few randomised, double-blind trials looking at MDD patients who were unresponsive to first-line antidepressants have been conducted and “this is one of these few studies which also shows a significant difference between treatments.” On the primary efficacy endpoint for REVIVE, Brintellix was statistically significantly superior to agomelatine by 2.2 points on the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), a ten-item questionnaire used to measure severity of the disorder.
Brintellix is under review on both sides of the Atlantic and is one of three new products, Lundbeck hopes to launch this year. The other two, which are already approved in some territories, are its once-monthly version of Abilify (aripiprazole) for schizophrenia and the alcohol dependence treatment Selincro (nalmefene); indeed, Lundbeck also presented new data on the later from three Phase III studies that “consistently show a significant reduction in alcohol consumption” in patients with high-risk drinking levels.
Bayer PAH drug Riociguat gets priority review at FDA
RIOCIQUAT
CAS NO 625115-55-1
Methyl N-[4,6-Diamino-2-[1-[(2-fluorophenyl)methyl]-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-3-yl]-5-pyrimidinyl]-N-methyl-carbaminate
9 APRIL2013
Bayer has been boosted by the news that regulators in the USA are fast-tracking the German group’s investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension riociguat.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review to the New Drug Application for riociguat, which Bayer filed in February on both sides of the Atlantic for PAH and a related condition, inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The FDA bestows a priority review on medicines that offer major advances in care or that provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists. The agency aims to complete its assessment within eight months from the submission of the NDA, rather than the standard 12 months.
Riociguat (BAY 63-2521) is a novel drug that is currently in clinical development by Bayer. It is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). At the moment Phase III clinical trialsinvestigate the use of riociguat as a new approach to treat two forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH): chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) andpulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Riociguat constitutes the first drug of a novel class of sGC stimulators
The submissions are based on two Phase III studies and riociguat, the first member of a novel class of compounds called stimulators of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), met its primary endpoint in both trials, a change in exercise capacity after 12- or 16 weeks respectively. The drug was generally well tolerated, with a good safety profile.
If approved, riociguat would be going up against Actelion’s Tracleer (bosentan) and Gilead Sciences/GlaxoSmithKline’s Letairis/Volibris (ambrisentan). Actelion, which has dominated the PAH market, has already filed its follow-up to Tracleer, Opsumit (macitentan).
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FDA Approves Diclegis for Pregnant Women Experiencing Nausea and Vomiting
doxylamine
pyridoxine
8 april 2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Diclegis (doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride) to treat pregnant women experiencing nausea and vomiting. Diclegis is a delayed-release tablet intended for women who have not adequately responded to conservative management of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, such as dietary and lifestyle modifications.
These modifications include eating several small meals instead of three large meals, eating bland foods that are low in fat and easy to digest and avoiding smells that can trigger nausea. “Many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and sometimes these symptoms are not adequately managed through recommended changes in diet and lifestyle,” said Hylton V. Joffe, M.D., M.M.Sc., director of the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“Diclegis is now the only FDA-approved treatment for nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy, providing a therapeutic option for pregnant women seeking relief from these symptoms.” Diclegis was studied in 261 women experiencing nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy. Study participants in the clinical trial were at least 18 years old and had been pregnant for at least 7 weeks and up to 14 weeks. Women were randomly assigned to receive two weeks of treatment with Diclegis or a placebo.
The study results showed that women taking Diclegis experienced greater improvement in nausea and vomiting than those taking placebo. Additionally, observational (epidemiological) studies have shown that the combination of active ingredients in Diclegis does not pose an increased risk of harm to the fetus. Diclegis is taken daily. Tablets must be taken whole on an empty stomach. The recommended starting dose is two tablets taken at bedtime.
If symptoms are not adequately controlled, the dose can be increased to a maximum recommended dose of four tablets daily (one in the morning, one mid-afternoon and two at bedtime). Nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy usually improve after the first trimester. Health care professionals should reassess their patients for continued need for Diclegis as pregnancy progresses. Drowsiness or sleepiness, which can be severe, is the most common side effect reported by women taking Diclegis.
Women should avoid using Diclegis when engaging in activities requiring mental alertness, such as driving or operating heavy machinery, until cleared to do so by their health care provider.
Diclegis is marketed by Duchesnay Inc., based in Blainville, Québec, Canada.
AURVEDA-Shatavari, wonder herb for women’s overall health and vitality .
Asparagus racemosus (Satavar, Shatavari, or Shatamull) is a species of asparagus common throughout Sri Lanka, India and the Himalayas. It grows one to two metres tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300–1,400 metres elevation).It was botanically described in 1799. Due to its multiple uses, the demand for Asparagus racemosus is constantly on the rise. Due to destructive harvesting, combined with habitat destruction, and deforestation, the plant is now considered ‘endangered’ in its natural habitat.
Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and as a galactogogue. A. racemosus has also been used successfully by some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders.
Shatawari has different names in the different Indian languages, such as Shatuli, Vrishya and other terms. In Nepal it is called Kurilo. The name Shatawari means “curer of a hundred diseases” (shat: “hundred”; vari: “curer”).
Shatavari is mentioned under six important rasayanas in ayurveda. Rasayanas are those plant drugs which promote general well being of an individual by increasing cellular vitality or resistance. This bitter sweet herb is especially used in Ayurveda to correct Pitta dosha imbalance.
Shatavari: This powerful herb strengthens the female organs, enhancing fertility and sexual vitality. Works on the reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and digestive systems. Excellent herb to cool Pitta and to bring moisture and lustre to the skin, while nourishing the cells and tissues. Shatavari soothes and protects the dry and inflamed membranes of the lungs, stomach, kidneys and sexual organs. Found in our Pitta spicebodhi herbal body bar and our spicebodhimama massage oil.
Asparagamine A, a polycyclic alkaloid with antitumor activity against a variety of cell lines was isolated from the dried roots and subsequently synthesized to allow for the construction of analogs.
Two new steroidal saponins, shatavaroside A and shatavaroside B together with a known saponin, filiasparoside C, were isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Five steroidal saponins, shatavarins VI-X, together with five known saponins, shatavarin I (or asparoside B), shatavarin IV (or asparinin B), shatavarin V, immunoside and schidigerasaponin D5 (or asparanin A), have been isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Isoflavone, 8-methoxy-5,6,4′-trihydroxyisoflavone 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside
Asparagus racemosus is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the Indian and British Pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. It is mainly known for its phytoestrogenic properties. In Ayurveda, Asparagus racemosus has been described as a rasayana herb and has been used extensively as an adaptogen to increase the non-specific resistance of organisms against a variety of stresses. Besides use in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, the plant also has antioxidant, immunostimulant, anti-dyspepsia and antitussive effects.”
The roots are used in Ayurvedic medicine, following a regimen of processing and drying. It is generally used as a uterine tonic, as agalactogogue (to improve breast milk), in hyperacidity, and as a general health tonic.
The reputed adaptogenic effects of Shatavari may be attributed to its concentrations of saponins,known as Shatavarins.
conclusion
Shatavari or Asparagus racemosus is a popular herb aptly called the “Female Health Formula”. Asparagus racemosus is the most commonly used Asparagus species in ayurveda and indigenous medicine in India. The plant is called shatawar in Hindi and in Sanskrit this plant is called shatavari which means ‘able to have one hundred husbands’. In Ayurveda this amazing herb is known as the “queen of herbs” because it promotes love and positive emotions and is very useful in strengthening the reproductive system of women. It is also a very important herb for women’s overall health and vitality
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Pharmacyclics Announces Third Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Ibrutinib from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
IBRUTINIB
1-[(3R)-3-[4-amino-3-(4-phenoxyphenyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-1-yl]piperidin-1-yl]prop-2-en-1-one
SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 8, 2013
Pharmacyclics, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an additional Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational oral agent ibrutinib as monotherapy for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) patients with deletion of the short arm of chromosome 17 (deletion 17p). Patients harboring a deletion within chromosome 17 generally have poor response to chemoimmunotherapy and have limited treatment options. The presence of deletion 17p is one of the worst prognostic factors in patients with CLL.
In February 2013, FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designations for ibrutinib as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM), both of which are also B-cell malignancies. Ibrutinib is jointly being developed by Pharmacyclics and Janssen for treatment of B-cell malignancies.
The Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a potential new drug for serious or life-threatening diseases where “preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development.” The designation of a drug as a Breakthrough Therapy was enacted as part of the 2012 Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. Pharmacyclics, together with Janssen, is working with the FDA to determine the implications of this Breakthrough Therapy Designation to the ongoing and planned development and the FDA filing requirements for the use of ibrutinib in CLL patients with deletion 17p.
The FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for ibrutinib in CLL patients with deletion 17p was based on data from pre-clinical and clinical studies where ibrutinib as a monotherapy was used to treat patients with this disease. Ibrutinib has the potential to improve the outcome in this serious and life-threatening disease which has a poor prognosis. In addition, Pharmacyclics and Janssen have recently initiated a Phase II study of ibrutinib in patients with CLL deletion 17p, RESONATE™ -17, which is a single-arm, open-label, multi-center trial using ibrutinib as a monotherapy in patients who have deletion 17p and who did not respond to or relapsed after at least one prior CLL treatment (a high unmet need population). The primary endpoint of the study will be overall response rate. This global study opened this year and Pharmacyclics plans to enroll 111 patients worldwide.
About Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a slow-growing blood cancer that starts in the white blood cells (lymphocytes), most commonly from B-cells. CLL is the second most common adult leukemia. Approximately 16,000 patients in the US are diagnosed each year with CLL. The prevalence of CLL is approximately 113,000 in the US. The disease is a chronic disease of the elderly with an average survival of about 5 years. Patients commonly receive multiple lines of treatment over the course of their disease.
In CLL the genetic mutation 17p deletion occurs when the short arm of chromosome 17 is missing. Del 17p is associated with abnormalities of a key tumor suppressor gene, TP53, which results in poor response to chemoimmunotherapy and worse treatment outcomes. It occurs in about 7% of treatment naive CLL patients and is estimated to be approximately 20% to 40% of relapsed or refractory patients harboring the mutation.
About Ibrutinib
Ibrutinib , previously publicly known as PCI-32765, is an experimental drug candidate for the treatment of various types of cancer. It was first synthesized at Celera Genomics as a selective inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk).It was later discovered to have anti-lymphoma properties in vivo by scientists at Pharmacyclics, Inc.Ibrutinib is currently under development by Pharmacyclics, Inc and Johnson & Johnson‘sJanssen Pharmaceutical division for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma,diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. It also has potential effects against autoimmune arthritis.
Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Pharmacyclics entered a collaboration and license agreement in December 2011 to co-develop and co-commercialize ibrutinib. Ibrutinib was designed to specifically target and selectively inhibit an enzyme called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK). BTK is a key mediator of at least three critical B-cell pro-survival mechanisms occurring in parallel – regulation of apoptosis, adhesion, and cell migration and homing. Through these multiple signals, BTK regulation helps to direct malignant B-cells to lymphoid tissues, thus allowing access to a micro environment necessary for survival.
The effectiveness of ibrutinib alone or in combination with other treatments is being studied in several B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia and multiple myeloma. To date five Phase III trials have been initiated with ibrutinib and a total of 26 trials are currently registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov.
About Pharmacyclics
Pharmacyclics® is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune mediated diseases. Our mission and goal is to build a viable biopharmaceutical company that designs, develops and commercializes novel therapies intended to improve quality of life, increase duration of life and resolve serious unmet medical healthcare needs; and to identify promising product candidates based on scientific development and administrational expertise, develop our products in a rapid, cost-efficient manner and pursue commercialization and/or development partners when and where appropriate.
Presently, Pharmacyclics has three product candidates in clinical development and several preclinical molecules in lead optimization. The Company is committed to high standards of ethics, scientific rigor, and operational efficiency as it moves each of these programs to viable commercialization.
The Company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol PCYC. To learn more about how Pharmacyclics advances science to improve human healthcare visit at http://www.pharmacyclics.com.
FDA Extends Delcath’s Melblez Cancer System Review
Melphalan hydrochloride (trade name Alkeran) is a chemotherapy drug belonging to the class of nitrogen mustard alkylating agents.
An alkylating agent adds an alkyl group (CnH2n+1) to DNA. It attaches the alkyl group to the guanine base of DNA, at the number 7 nitrogen atom of the imidazole ring.
Otherwise known as L-Phenylalanine Mustard, or L-PAM, melphalan is a phenylalaninederivative of mechlorethamine.
AYURVEDA HERBS-HOLY BASIL (Ocimum sanctum)
HOLY BASIL (Ocimum sanctum): Also known as Tulsi, this plant is actually considered sacred by many people in India. As such, it can be found growing in temple gardens, where the rich fragrance opens respiratory passages and some say, help the spirit soar.
Tulsi is one of the most sacred plants of India. Basil opens the heart and mind, bestowing the energy of love and devotion. Basil strengthens the immune system, increasing prana or life force and improving the memory. A nerve tonic, improving absorption and strengthening the nerve tissue, also used externally for various skin conditions. This plant is found in most East Indian households as it absorbs positive ions, energizes negative ions, and liberates ozone from the suns rays. Found in our spicenlightenment Vata aromatherapy Candle and spicebodhi Vata body bar.
Holy Basil’s key compounds, including eugenol and caryophyllene, are similar to those found in oregano (Origanum vulgare) and it shares the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic actions typical of the oregano family (Padalia RC, Verma RS. Nat Prod Res. 2011;25(6):569-75. Godhwani S, et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 1987;21:153-63).
This plant is also native to West Africa. In Sierra Leone, it is called ‘Fever Plant.’ The various fixed oil compounds found in the plant have shown extensive antimicrobial and antifungal activity against a variety of pathogens including Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. In classical Ayurveda, Holy Basil was used as an anti-tussive, to clear “excess dampness in the lungs.” Recent human trials have validated this, the data showing that this herb can increase lung capacity as well as reduce labored breathing.
It has also been shown to significantly reduce several measures of stress in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients.
Holy basil can be taken in capsule, tea and in liquid forms. It is dispensed in 600-700 mg doses, twice daily, before meals. Allow 2-4 weeks for optimal results.
New combination therapy cures patient with advanced ovarian cancer
A novel ovarian cancer treatment made from tumour cells has cured a woman in the US with an advanced form of the disease, scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have announced.
During a preliminary trial of the two-step immunotherapy, the patient achieved complete remission, while seven other women had no measurable disease at the end of the study.
The therapy includes a personalised immune cell vaccination made from the patients’ live tumour cells and adoptive T-cell therapy.
Both treatments are given in conjunction with Avastin (bevacizumab), a drug developed by Roche that controls the blood vessel growth that feeds tumours.
The second step in the study involved the isolation of immune cells, known as dendritic cells, from the patients’ blood through a process called apheresis, similar to the process used for blood donation.
Announcing its findings at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington DC on Saturday, the research team reported that in the study of 31 patients, vaccination therapy alone showed a 61% clinical benefit, and the combination of both therapies benefited around 75% of participants.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the US, taking the lives of 14,000 people each year.
Lead author of the study Lana Kandalaft said; “Given these grim outcomes, there is definitely a vast unmet need for the development of novel, alternate therapies.”
“This is the first time such a combination immunotherapy approach has been used for patients with ovarian cancer, and we believe the results are leading us toward a completely new way to treat this disease.”
The vaccine trial is still open to accrual to test new combinatorial strategies.
Ayurveda- Turmeric, Antiarthritic properties
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20°C and 30°C (68°F and 86°F) and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes, and propagated from some of those rhizomes in the following season. In Vietnam, turmeric is called “nghệ”, “củ nghệ”.
When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell
3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.
4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.
5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.
7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.
8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.
12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.
14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.
16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.
New Drug Approvals 