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Vertex, Merck plan clinical study for cancer treatment

Boston Business Journal

June 17, 2005 - Drug developer Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Merck & Co. Inc. plan to launch a third clinical study for a potential inhibitor and treatment for certain cancer strains.

The companies' so-called VX-680 collaboration dates back to June 2004 and involves a series of cooperative steps by Vertex and Merck to develop and commercially launch drugs that target and kill cancer-spreading cells. The latest study will focus on a five-day treatment cycle for patients with hematologic cancers, or various forms of leukemia.

The move is slated to demonstrate the safety and tolerability of VX-680 in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute lymphocytic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia. Vertex (NASDAQ: VRTX) and Merck (NYSE: MRK) said the drug has also shown promising results with other cancers in other pre-clinical testing programs.

Based in Cambridge, Vertex booked $28.6 million in revenue and a loss of $44.7 million, or 56 cents a share, in the quarter that ended March 31. The company recorded revenue of $17.5 million and a loss of $40.4 million, or 52 cents a share, for the same period a year earlier

Doyle signs new law on donation of umbilical cord blood

December 16, 2005 - MILWAUKEE - New mothers in Wisconsin can donate the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies for scientific stem cell research under legislation signed into law Thursday by Gov. Jim Doyle.

The change provides another tool for scientists to seek lifesaving treatments for some diseases, Doyle said.

The stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood hold potential to treat people with leukemia, sickle cell anemia and dozens of other blood disorders, Doyle said in a statement.

The new law requires doctors to tell pregnant women of their options for donating umbilical cord blood by the 35th week of pregnancy. The legislation was authored by Rep. Steve Wieckert, R-Appleton.

Among those watching Doyle sign the new law was Jim Kelly, a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, who established a foundation to fund research on Krabbe's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central and peripheral nervous systems with no known cure.

Kelly's son, Hunter, was born with the disease and died in August. Kelly watched Doyle sign the bill via videoconferencing because bad weather kept him in New York.

According to Doyle, research shows stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood provide a viable transplant source for thousands of leukemia patients who have no other treatment option. Additionally, survival rates for recipients of umbilical cord stem cells are comparable to those of patients receiving bone marrow transplants.

Children with leukemia and other blood disorders receiving umbilical cord blood experience fewer life-threatening complications than do those receiving bone marrow transplants, Doyle said.

Doyle said stem cell research using umbilical cord blood is not a substitute for embryonic stem cell research.

"I believe they can complement one another, with umbilical cord research providing just another weapon in the arsenal of scientists who are trying to conquer diseases that have affected millions around the world," the governor said.

Former CBS TV President Malara Dies

Aug. 25, 2006 - SYRACUSE, N.Y. Anthony Malara, a former president of CBS Television and former head of the New York State Broadcasters Association, has died. He was 69.

Malara died Thursday at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after having a heart attack.

Malara retired from CBS Television Network in 1995 after 17 years. He started his career at WWNY in 1957 in Watertown as the general manager of the TV and radio station, along with WMSA radio in Massena.

In 1978, he was recruited by CBS and became a network vice president responsible for the CBS affiliates. In 1981, he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the network, until 1982 when he became president of CBS Television.

After a 1988 reorganization, he was appointed president of the CBS affiliate relations division, and worked with 200 affiliates around the country.

He retired in 1995 and the next year created TCM Media Associates LLC. The consulting firm served clients such as PAX Television Network and Telemundo. He later founded Malara Broadcasting, which owned small market TV stations.

Prior Lymphoma Therapy Tied to Problems After Stem Cell Transplant

By David Douglas

NEW YORK AUG 14, 2006 (Reuters Health) - A variety of factors appear to be associated with an increased risk of treatment-related myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) following autologous stem-cell transplantation in patients with lymphoma, researchers report in the August 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"High-dose chemotherapy or radiation regimens are frequently cited as a cause of subsequent MDS or AML," lead author Dr. Matt Kalaycio told Reuters Health. "Our results strongly suggest that treatment administered before the high-dose regimen contribute, if not cause, the subsequent MDS/AML."

Dr. Kalaycio and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio came to this conclusion after reviewing data on 526 of their patients who had lymphoma and were treated with ASCT. The aim was to determine which factors including difficulty in harvesting stem cells, might predict outcome.

In total, difficult harvests were experienced in 52 of the patients. All patients then went on to high-dose chemotherapy alone.

Median follow-up of surviving patients was 69 months, during which time 20 developed treatment-related MDS/AML, giving an actuarial incidence of 6.8% at 10 years.

Independent risk factors for these complications were determined to be more than 5 days of apheresis needed to harvest sufficient stem cells, prior exposure to radiation therapy and 4 or more chemotherapy regimes.

"Thus, we suggest that for patients likely to benefit from high-dose treatment in the future, such as those patients with low-grade lymphoma, the sooner they get high-dose therapy, the less the chance of MDS/AML," Dr. Kalaycio concluded.

SOURCE:

* J Clin Oncol 2006;24:3604-3610

Benzene lawsuit asserts 51 years of exposure
Southeast Texas Record - Beaumont,TX,USA
Diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia on August 17, 2005, Oakley believes his sickness is from occupational exposure of benzene and maintains his ...

Myelodysplastic syndrome:
Myelodysplastic syndromes a group of malignant hematologic disorders characterized by varying degrees of bone marrow failure. Referred to as "preleukemia" or "smoldering leukemia" though these are malignant, and are treated as separate diseases.

apheresis:
A painless procedure by which blood is withdrawn from a patients arm, and circulated through a machine that removes certain components, and returns the remaining components to the patient. most often used to collect stem cells or platelets.

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