Monday 15 July 2013

Research in HIV therapies -A review- The global community has made significant strides forward in its mission to eradicate the HIV epidemic


HIV therapies 
Over the last 30 years, the face of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has changed from one largely associated with homosexuality, drug addicts, prejudice, fear and rejection without much hope of a future, to one involving innocent children born of mothers living with HIV for whom it is hoped the disease will be curable and even eradicated. 
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS, 34 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2011. Sub-Saharan Africa was, and still is, the most severely affected area. Approximately 5 per cent of adults in this region live with HIV, representing almost 70 per cent of the global HIV-infected population. On a positive note, the number of newly infected people has declined by approximately 25 per cent over the past ten years and, importantly, over the past two years, half of the reductions in HIV infections has been in children.
Treatment and prevention
The approach to, and success of, HIV treatment and prevention has.....................cont
read all at
 http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/research_in_hiv_therapies_488697
THE NAMES OF DRUGS USED ARE LISTED HERE, PLEASE READ IT
 
 article by
Wendy McNeely
Adis International (Springer Healthcare), using data derived from Adis R&D Insight and Clinical Trials Insight. For further information on Adis services, please contact Daniela Ranzani on +39 02 423 4562 or email her Daniela.Ranzani@springer.com

Friday 12 July 2013

Vical's Allovectin Phase III Trial Results: Consider The Possibilities





Cohen: We saw that happen last year when JNJ prematurely unblinded the pre- chemo Phase III study for the prostate cancer drug Zytiga. The trial achieved ...



Allovectin-7 is a substance that is being studied as a gene therapy agent in the treatment of cancer, such as malignant melanoma. It is a plasmid/lipid complex containing the DNA sequences encoding HLA-B7 and ß2 microglobulin - two components of major histocompatibility complex (MHC, class I). It increases the ability of the immune system to recognize cancer cells and kill them.
In 1999, FDA granted Allovectin-7 orphan drug designation for the treatment of invasive and metastatic melanoma.


  • Allovectin-7 entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms



Ohr Pharmaceutical Achieves 50% Enrollment Milestone in Squalamine Eye Drop Phase II Clinical Trial

File:Squalamine.png

squalamine

July 10, 2013 /
Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. , a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for large unmet medical needs, today announced that it has enrolled the first 60 patients in the Company's ongoing OHR-002 Phase II clinical trial evaluating Squalamine Eye Drops for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration ("wet-AMD").
The study is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study enrolling patients at more than twenty clinical sites in the U.S. "We are excited to have reached the halfway point in the enrollment of our Squalamine Eye Drop study," said Dr. Irach B. Taraporewala, CEO of Ohr.
"This milestone sets the stage for the planned interim analysis once the 60 patients complete the nine month treatment protocol, and we expect the data to be available in the second quarter of 2014.
" "I am pleased with the continued progress in the trial to evaluate Squalamine Eye Drops for exudative AMD," commented Dr. Jason Slakter, retinal disease specialist at Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of NY, and member of Ohr's scientific advisory board. "The Company's eye drop for treating wet-AMD would potentially offer patients a convenient, self-administered, treatment alternative or adjunct to currently used intravitreal injections directly into the eye. This could be a significant advancement in the future treatment of wet-AMD." Study OHR-002 is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled Phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Squalamine Eye Drops for the treatment of wet-AMD.
The study will enroll 120 treatment naive wet-AMD patients at more than twenty clinical sites in the U.S., who will be treated with Squalamine Eye Drops or placebo eye drops twice daily for a nine month period.
The primary and secondary endpoints include visual acuity parameters, need for rescue intravitreal injections, and safety. The protocol includes an interim analysis upon the completion of the treatment period in 50% of the patients (60). More information on the clinical trial can be found at clinicaltrials.gov. About Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NasdaqCM:OHRP) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the clinical development of new drugs for underserved therapeutic needs in large and growing markets. The Company is focused on advancing its pipeline products currently in phase II clinical development: Squalamine Eye Drops for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, and OHR/AVR118 for the treatment of cancer cachexia. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.ohrpharmaceutical.com.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Women at High Breast Cancer Risk Should Consider Preventive Drugs: Experts



July 9, 2013 -- Women at high risk of breast cancer should discuss with their doctors the use of so-called chemopreventive drugs to reduce that risk, according to a new practice guideline issued by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
The new guideline updates the previous one, issued in 2009, said Dr. Kala Visvanathan, director of the clinical cancer genetics and prevention service at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, who co-chaired the guidelines panel.

Read more at 

http://www.drugs.com/news/women-breast-cancer-risk-should-consider-preventive-experts-45805.html

Monday 8 July 2013

University of East Anglia scientists make major advance important for cancer research

Above: EB2 (green) expressed in stem cell region of gut with microtubules in red (credit: Deborah Goldspink) 

University of East Anglia scientists make major advance important for cancer research

Dr Mette Mogensen’s lab from UEA's School of Biological Sciences has made a major advancement in understanding tissue development that has important implications for cancer. Findings published today in the Journal of Cell Science show how the protein EB2 is a key regulator of tube-like...