The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Ixempra, a new anti-cancer treatment, for use in patients with metastatic or advanced breast cancer.
"This approval is important because it provides certain patients with a new chemotherapy option in instances where other drugs have failed," said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Ixempra (ixabepilone) was approved for use in combination with another cancer drug, capecitabine, in patients who no longer respond to two other chemotherapy treatments. The prior treatments included an anthracycline (such as doxorubicin or epirubicin) and a taxane (such as paclitaxel or docetaxel).
Ixempra, which is administered by intravenous infusion, was also approved for use alone in patients who no longer benefit from an anthracycline, a taxane and capecitabine.
The drug is distributed by the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co. of Princeton, N.J.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
Older renal cancer patients appear to benefit from sorafenib treatment
Older and younger patients with renal cancer derive similar benefit from sorafenib therapy and tolerate the drug equally well, according to a study published online October 7 in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Study shows stool DNA testing for colorectal cancer has potential, but challenges remain
The first generation of a stool DNA test to identify early colorectal cancer has limitations, according to a Mayo Clinic-led study published in the Oct. 7, 2008, issue of
Annals of Internal Medicine. Results did not corroborate findings of an earlier multicenter study that showed stool DNA testing was more accurate than fecal blood testing for colorectal cancer detection. *
3 share Nobel prize for work on AIDS and cancer
(AP) -- Three European scientists shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for separate discoveries of viruses that cause AIDS and cervical cancer, breakthroughs that helped doctors fight the deadly diseases.
Nanodiamond drug device could transform cancer treatment
A Northwestern University research team has developed a promising nanomaterial-based biomedical device that could be used to deliver chemotherapy drugs locally to sites where cancerous tumors have been surgically removed.
HIV drug maraviroc effective for drug-resistant patients
As many as one quarter of HIV patients have drug resistance, limiting their treatment options and raising their risk for AIDS and death. Now, maraviroc, the first of a new class of HIV drugs called CCR5 receptor antagonists, has been shown to be effective over 48 weeks for drug-resistant patients with R5 HIV-1, a variation of the virus found in more than half of HIV-infected patients.
Genes influence effectiveness of weight-loss drug
Obese patients with a specific genetic make-up lose more weight when taking the weight loss drug sibutramine and undergoing behavioral therapy compared to those without this genetic make-up, reports a new study in
Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
Study shows radiation device may customize therapy, enable some to avoid more lengthy treatment
A study of the first approximately 100 patients who have received partial breast irradiation with a small, whisk-like, expandable device inserted inside the breast has shown that after one year, the device is effective at sparing nearby healthy tissue from the effects of radiation. The device, called SAVI™, is aimed at providing customized radiation therapy while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue around the breast after a woman has received a lumpectomy for early stage cancer.
Bladder cancer detected via amplified gene in cells found in urine
Counting the copies of a specific gene in cells gathered from a urine sample may provide a simple, noninvasive way to detect bladder cancer, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.