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Vertos Medical's Mild(R) Procedure Gets Nod From Leading Pain Medicine Physicians
Leading interventional pain physicians from key U.S. centers gathered at a special clinical symposium to share their experience with Vertos Medical"s mild (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression), the least invasive surgical procedure for treating lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), with no implants left behind.* Their early clinical experiences suggest that mild may be an appropriate treatment alternative earlier in the LSS progression, as mild patients have shown favorable results when comparing post-treatment improvement at three months to open surgical procedure patient results at one year1. Moreover, mild leaves future surgical options open.

Society Calls For Clarification Of Responsible Pharmacist Regulations
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has called for clarification of the responsible pharmacist requirements but will not be asking the Department of Health to amend the commencement date of the regulations.
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Cancer Center Leads Breakthrough Clinical Trial: Cancer Vaccine For First Time Shows Promise Against Melanoma
A recent clinical trial - led by Goshen Center for Cancer Care - has yielded promising results for the future use of a cancer vaccine. One of the first studies to prove vaccines might have a medical benefit against cancer, study results found the new cancer vaccine doubled the response rate for tumor shrinkage as well as delayed the progression of cancer in patients with metastatic melanoma.
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FDA Approves First Maintenance Drug Therapy For Advanced Lung Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Alimta (pemetrexed), the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer. Patients with cancer often receive maintenance therapy to prevent the disease from progressing after their tumor has shrunk or the disease has stabilized in response to chemotherapy. Alimta disrupts metabolic processes that are dependent on the B-vitamin folate, a necessary ingredient for cell replication. "This drug represents a new approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer," said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director, Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA"s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Typically, patients whose tumors respond to chemotherapy do not receive further treatment after four-to-six chemotherapy cycles. This study demonstrates an advantage in overall survival in certain patients who received Alimta for maintenance therapy." Non-small cell lung cancer has several subtypes, including squamous cell, large cell, adenocarcinoma and mixed histology cancers. In a 600-patient clinical trial, people with predominantly squamous cell cancer did not benefit from Alimta. But those with other subtypes of non-small lung cancer survived an average 15.5 months following treatment compared with 10.3 months for patients who received an inactive substance (placebo). All patients in the study received standard medical care. Reported adverse events included damage to blood cells, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, and skin rash. Alimta initially was approved in 2004 for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma, a cancer frequently related to asbestos exposure. The drug was later approved for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose disease worsened on prior chemotherapy drugs and also as an initial therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Alimta is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis. U.S. Food and Drug Administration


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