A Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) drug for advanced prostate cancer has been approved on Thursday by U.S. health regulators. This drug is deemed one of the most important medicines that J&J has been developing, reports Bill Berkrot in a Reuters article. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, which will be sold two months earlier than anticipated, under the brand name Zytiga. Zytiga is expected to make more than $1 billion annually in sales, according to analysts. Zytiga was approved to be used together with the steroid prednisone in patients with late-stage castration-resistant prostate cancer who have received [...]
Training Cells to Fight Cancer – Study
Researchers say that training a person’s own white blood cells to battle cancer is an experimental approach that’s worth a try, according to a CBC News article. Their early-stage results of a new method they tested in nine patients suffering from advanced melanoma that had extended from the skin to other body parts. Researchers reported these results on Wednesday. The average survival at this stage is less than one year. Donations from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Immunotherapy Fund 1, the S. Craig Lindner Fund for Cancer Research, the Rudolf E. Rupert Foundation for Cancer Research, the Cancer Research [...]
EMRs Help in Disease Studies
It is costly and lengthy to engage thousands of patients to gather data for genetic signs to disease. New Northwestern Medicine research states that this time consuming process could be quicker and cost-effective by drawing out patient data that’s already there in electronic medical records. Researchers were able to gather patient information electronic medical records from doctors’ scheduled visits at 5 national sites, all of which made use of various medical record software brands. Through this information, researchers were able to correctly single out patients with 5 types of diseases or health problems, namely, cataracts, cardiac conduction, dementia, type 2 [...]
Key Protein Found for Prostate Cancer
A key protein has been found by Cancer researchers. This protein is produced naturally inside cells and seems to hinder prostate cancer cells development in the laboratory. The discovery, which is published in the journal Cancer Research on April 26, 2011, present hopeful leads for research on the way to new treatments. In the recent study, a protein called FUS was found by scientists at Imperial College London. FUS slows down the development of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. It also triggers pathways that lead to cell suicide. Researchers also search for this protein in prostate cancer patients’ samples. [...]
ACA to Join an Existing Class-Action Lawsuit Against UnitedHealthcare
The Board of Governors at the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) has decided to join an open class-action lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare (United). The lawsuit was started by the Ohio State Chiropractic Association and the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations among others. The participation of ACA will make the litigation bigger. This will include issues with the claims review, tiering and payment policies of United. The litigation, which was filed on January 24, 2011, embodies a countrywide class of health care providers who were subjected to the United’s unseemly recoupment of payments for services made available to United subscribers. In cases where [...]
ACE Inhibitors May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence
Two widely used blood pressure medications appear to have opposite effects on the likelihood of the breast cancer recurring on women with a history of the ailment, notes HealthDay Reporter Amanda Gardner. Based on initial findings, ACE inhibitors raised the risk of breast cancer recurrence while beta blockers appear to lessen the risk. This came as a surprise even to the researchers who published the study on the internet in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. When to two medications were taken together, however, the risk of recurrence associated with ACE inhibitors appeared to lessen. The study shows the [...]
