Posted by James
Temsirolimus (Torisel)
Manufacturer: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA
Indication: Temsirolimus is indicated for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Drug Class: As an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR), temsirolimus is considered to be an antineoplastic agent.
Uniqueness of Drug: Temsirolimus is the only marketed cancer therapy that specifically inhibits mTOR kinase, a key protein in cells that regulates cell proliferation, cell growth, and cell survival. Temsirolimus binds to an intracellular protein, and the protein-drug complex inhibits the mTOR activity that controls cell division. Inhibition of mTOR activity resulted in arrested growth of treated tumor cells in phase G1. Clinically, temsirolimus resulted in prolonged overall survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
Patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) experienced durable major responses with good tolerability when they were treated with denileukin diftitox (Ontak, Seragen/ Ligand), according to results of a phase 3 clinical trial. A recombinant DNA-derived cytotoxic protein, denileukin diftitox (Dd) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with persistent or recurrent cutaneous T-cell lym-phoma whose malignant cells express the CD25 component of the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
In stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the combination of pemetrexed (Alimta, Eli Lilly) plus carboplatin (Paraplatin, Bristol-Myers Squibb) as a first-line chemotherapy produced significantly less toxicity than the combination of gemcitabine (Gemzar, Eli Lilly) plus carboplatin. In addition, patients receiving the pemetrexed/carboplatin (Pem/Carbo) regimen needed fewer transfusions than those receiving the gemcitabine/carboplatin (Gem/Carbo) combination.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) dasatinib (Sprycel, Bristol-Myers Squibb) is approved for the second-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant to imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Novartis). Most TKIs have long half-lives, resulting in continuous target inhibition, according to Dr. Shah. Because dasatinib has a short half-life (3 to 5 hours, compared with 18 to 60 hours with other TKIs), twice-daily dosing (70 mg) was chosen to provide more consistent target inhibition in phase 2 studies of dasatinib. The adverse event of pleu-ral effusions, however, was more common with twice-daily dosing in early studies, whereas the major cytogenetic response rate with once-daily dosing was equivalent to that for patients who were treated twice a day.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
Cetuximab (Erbitux)
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is expressed by most colorectal cancers. Cetuximab (Erbitux, Bristol-Myers Squib) is an immunoglobulin (IgG1) monoclonal antibody that specifically targets EGFR with high affinity. Dr. Van Cutsem presented results of the CRYSTAL trial (Cetuximab Combined with Irinotecan in First-Line Therapy for Metastatic Colo-rectal Cancer). This is the first phase 3 study to assess the combination of cetuximab plus FOLFIRI as a first-line therapy for colorectal cancer. FOLFIRI consists offormic acid (leucovorin), 5-/luorouracil (5-FU), and irinotecan (Camptosar, Pfizer).
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
It is now well known that pain is both highly prevalent and undertreated in the elderly. Pain management is a particular problem in nursing-home patients, a vulnerable population that poses significant and unique challenges to caregivers in terms of their ability to provide adequate treatment. Some of these challenges include the misconceptions and unfounded fears about patients becoming addicted to prescription opioids.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by James
Many states have enacted legislation to mandate the reporting of medical errors and to require a form of public disclosure. It is thought that via public transparency, we can compare process-improvement strategies, thereby lowering the rate of medication errors and improving the quality and safety of health care. Among these state agencies, one has been hailed as a bellwether for the rest of the nation, namely the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I would like to review the early history and progress of this agency, with an emphasis on its efforts to reduce medication errors.
Read the rest of this entry »