FDA considers new rules to speed up confirmatory trials of drugs granted accelerated approval

Since 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to 47 new indications for 35 cancer drugs and in more than half the cases—26 indications—further trials have confirmed the benefits of the drugs. But the agency has concerns about the length of time some drugs have remained on the market without confirmation of their benefits, according to a review article published online March 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. New requirements and fines are possible solutions say the authors, from FDA’s Office of Oncology Drug Products.

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Macavity wasn’t there! How absent reoviruses kill cancer

Reoviruses are successfully being used in clinical trials to treat patients with cancer. Not only does the virus cause cancer cells to die, it also forces them to release pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, which in turn causes the patient’s immune system to attack the disease. New research published by BioMed Central’s open access journal Molecular Cancer shows that reovirus infected cancer cells secrete proteins which, even when isolated, result in the death of cancer cells.

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Use of atypical antipsychotics in treatment of dementia declined after FDA warning

A warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration regarding the use of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of dementia was associated with a significant decline in the use of these medications for treating dementia symptoms in elderly patients, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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Call for truth in trans fats labeling by the FDA

Case Western Reserve study shows how deceptive food labels lead to increased risk of deadly diseases

Did you know that when you pick up a product promoted as trans fat free, you may still be ingesting a significant amount of this potentially harmful substance? An article by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine student Eric Brandt, published in the January/February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, reveals that misleading labeling practices can result in medically significant intake of harmful trans fat, despite what you read on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labels. Indeed, consumers’ inability to identify high-risk foods may cause individuals to exceed the daily recommended value of 1.11 grams of trans fat from processed foods and lead to adverse long-term health side effects.

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Mount Sinai researchers discover why cocaine is so addictive

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive. These findings—the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward—were published in Science on October 15. The results may help researchers in developing new ways of treating those addicted to the drug.

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Images shed new light on inflammation

research published in Science

Calgary, AB – Researchers at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine are using an innovative new imaging technique to study how white blood cells (called neutrophils) respond to inflammation, and have revealed new targets to inhibit the response.

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New clues on how cancer spreads

Cancer cells accompanied by ‘helper’ cells in the bloodstream, challenging current understanding of metastasis

Researchers have dramatically advanced medicine’s understanding of how cancer migrates, showing that cancer cells are accompanied by growth-enabling stromal cells when they travel in the bloodstream to new sites in the body.

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Cell survival protein discovery rewrites immune system story

A discovery by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers in Melbourne, Australia, reported in today’s edition of Science, is set to rewrite a long-held belief about how the body’s immune system establishes its memory.

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Evaluation of targeted therapy in ovarian cancer

Molecular imaging technique shows promise for monitoring early response to treatment for cisplatin-resistant ovarian tumors

Reston, Va.— Research reported in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) shows that a molecular imaging technique may prove useful in early assessment of treatment response for cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.

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Circulating tumor cells can provide ‘real-time’ information on patient’s current disease state

DENVER — Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may be a promising alternative, noninvasive source of tumor materials for biomarker assessment, according to data presented at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

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