Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and Amgen are now able to state that colon cancer patients with a mutation to the KRAS gene do not respond to two of their drugs. The FDA has approved revised labeling for cetuximab (Erbitux, Bristol-Myers Squibb/ImClone) and panitumumab (Vectibix, Eli Lilly and Amgen), which is in the same drug class. Merck KGaA markets Erbitux outside the U.S.
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The FDA is requiring stronger warnings in the prescribing information for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. An updated boxed warning highlights the increased risk of cancer drugs in children and adolescents who receive these drugs to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorder, Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory disorders.
Obesity may be contributing to chemotherapy resistance and increasing relapse rates among children with leukemia. Obesity is associated with anncreased incidence of many types of cancer drugs. Given the increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, these findings could have important implications for cancer treatment and may help to explain the increased leukemia relapse rate in obese patients.
A common diabetes drug might be able to reduce tumors faster and prolong remission in mice longer than chemotherapy alone by targeting cancer stem cells, according to Harvard researchers.
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