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Epoetin Reduces Transfusions In Anemic Cancer Patients But Questions Remain On How Best To Use It
Epoetin alfa, a synthetic hormone developed to replace the natural hormone erythropoietin, reduces the need for transfusions in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia, according to a report released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study finds that evidence that epoetin reduces the need for transfusions is strongest when epoetin is initiated as declining hemoglobin (Hb) levels near 10 g/dL. Analysis of the pooled evidence estimated that one in five patients who would have required a transfusion, will not when treated with epoetin. more
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Study Raises Questions About Relationship Between SIDS And Events Detected By Home Monitors
Episodes of prolonged cessation of breathing or prolonged slowing of heart rate in infants — believed to be potential signs of risk for SIDS — primarily occur before the developmental age when most SIDS deaths occur, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The findings, appearing in the 02 May 2001, Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that these events are not necessarily signs of impending SIDS. more
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Uses Of Epoetin For Anemia In Oncology
Erythropoietin is an endogenous hormone, produced primarily in the kidney, which participates in regulating production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis). "Epoetin" is the term used for recombinant human erythropoietin. It was developed in the 1980s as a treatment for anemia. Epoetin replicates the biologic activity of the endogenous hormone and increases the number of red blood cells and thus the blood concentration of hemoglobin when given to persons with functioning erythropoiesis. The initial clinical use of epoetin was to treat patients with anemia of chronic renal failure, especially patients on dialysis (i.e., end-stage renal disease). more
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New Drug And Standard Chemotherapy To Be Evaluated In Treatment Of Stage III Ovarian Cancer
The University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Puget Sound Oncology Consortium will lead a nationwide phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of combining standard initial chemotherapy (paclitaxel and carboplatin) with IM862, a peptide that appears to have cancer fighting properties. Preclinical research suggests that IM862 stimulates the body's immune system and inhibits the development of blood vessels (angiogenesis) needed by tumors to grow and metastasize. Patients can self-administer the drug as nose drops and it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes. To date, IM862 has been tested in clinical trials involving over 400 cancer patients and has demonstrated a favorable safety profile with generally mild side effects. more
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Study Evaluating The Two Leading Treatments For Overactive Bladder Presented At ACOG Meeting
Results of a Phase IV clinical study evaluating the two leading medications for the treatment of overactive bladder were presented for the first time today at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) 50th Annual Clinical Meeting. The findings in "Overactive Bladder: Judging Effective Control and Treatment" (OBJECT) showed that patients suffering from overactive bladder experienced a significant reduction in symptoms, including the most troublesome -- urge incontinence, when treated with extended-release oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan XL), when compared to patients treated with tolterodine tartrate (Detrol). more
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