Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia

In people with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the drug Imatinib has been shown to drive cancer into remission, but the disease often returns when treatment is stopped. New research by UC Irvine scientists indicates that Imatinib could cure CML under certain circumstances if it is taken over a long enough period of time.

Genmab A/S (OMX: GEN) announced it has amended the design of an ongoing pivotal study of ofatumumab (HuMax-CD20(R)) in rituximab refractory follicular non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) to a single arm trial that will now include approximately 81 patients. All patients will receive one infusion of 300 mg of ofatumumab followed by 7 weekly infusions of 1000 mg of ofatumumab.

A novel strategy to hopefully beat into oblivion one of the most aggressive forms of acute myelogenous leukemia combines the strengths of some of the newest leukemia agents, researchers say.”These are not traditional chemotherapy regimens. These are targeted therapies that our earlier laboratory studies have shown have a synergistic effect,” says Dr. Kapil N. Bhalla, director of the Medical College of Georgia Cancer Center.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited (Bristol-Myers Squibb) announced the European Commission has approved an update to the summary of product characteristics for Sprycel® (dasatinib). The label now specifies 100 mg once-daily as a starting dose for patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) that is resistant or intolerant to prior therapy, including imatinib.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, and Genzyme Corp., USA, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Campath® (alemtuzumab) and granted regular approval for single agent Campath for the treatment of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL).

Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting approval of TREANDA(R) (bendamustine HCl) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease with an estimated 15,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Human white blood cells, engineered to recognize other malignant immune cells, could provide a novel therapy for patients with highly lethal B cell cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). By administering repeated doses of T cells designed to express an artificial receptor which recognizes human B cells, the researchers were able to eradicate cancer in 44 percent of mice bearing human ALL tumors.

Genzyme Corp. (Nasdaq: GENZ) and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: BAY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for Campath(R) (alemtuzumab) and granted regular approval for single-agent Campath for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL).

Human white blood cells, engineered to recognize other malignant immune cells, could provide a novel therapy for patients with highly lethal B cell cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). By administering repeated doses of T cells designed to express an artificial receptor which recognizes human B cells, the researchers were able to eradicate cancer in 44 percent of mice bearing human ALL tumors.

EbpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and OMX Nordic Exchange: EPCT) reported that the assessment of its European Union centralized marketing authorization application for its lead oncology product Ceplene(TM) is advancing according to the anticipated regulatory timetable following a meeting yesterday. Ceplene (histamine dihydrochloride) has demonstrated important clinical benefit in the maintenance of remission for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).