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FDA approves first angiogenesis inhibitor to treat colorectal cancer
FDA today approved Avastin (bevacizumab) as a first-line treatment for patients
with metastatic colorectal cancer -- cancer that has spread to other parts of
the body. Avastin, a monoclonal antibody, is the first product to be approved
that works by preventing the formation of new blood vessels, a process known
as angiogenesis. Avastin was shown to extend patients' lives by about
five months when given intravenously as a combination treatment along with standard
chemotherapy drugs for colon cancer (the "Saltz regimen" also known
as IFL). IFL treatment includes ironotecan, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and leucovorin.
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Information for patients: Questions and answers on Avastin (bevacizumab)
Avastin is used to treat cancer of the colon or rectum that has
spread to other parts of the body. Avastin is given along with the
chemotherapy combination known as IFL. IFL consists of irinotecan,
5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin.
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Prescribing information: Avastin (bevacizumab)
Avastin is a genetically engineered version of a mouse antibody that contains
both human and mouse components. (Antibodies are substances produced by the
body's immune system to fight foreign substances.) Special technology
also allows it to be produced in large quantities in the laboratory. Get the prescribing information in today's issue of Vidyya.
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Single drug for cholesterol, blood pressure approved
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Pfizer drug Caduet, a dual-therapy drug for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the company says. more
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Prescribing information: Caduet (atorvastatin calcium and amlodipine besylate)
Caduet (amlodipine besylate and atorvastatin calcium) tablets combine the long-acting calcium
channel blocker amlodipine besylate with the synthetic lipid-lowering agent atorvastatin calcium. Get the full prescribing information for Caduet in today's issue of Vidyya. more
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Drugs limit deadly side effects of graft-versus-host disease
A new class of anti-cancer drugs, currently being tested in human clinical trials, reduces the severity of graft-versus-host disease or GVHD — a common and often deadly complication of life-saving bone marrow transplants — without suppressing the immune response required to kill lingering cancer cells.
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Does tuberculosis result from one strain, or more?
South African investigators have challenged the premise that tuberculosis generally results from a single strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by demonstrating that multiple infections are present in patients with active tuberculosis.
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