			Home About us Contact

Cancer Drugs (cancer + drug)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Top-up Payments for Expensive Cancer Drugs: Rationing, Fairness and the NHS

THE MODERN LAW REVIEW, Issue 3 2010
Article first published online: 7 MAY 2010, Emily Jackson
This article examines the implications for patient care, and for the future of rationing within the NHS, of the recent decision to permit NHS patients to supplement their care by paying for medicines , mainly expensive new cancer drugs , which are not available within the NHS. The starting point is the recommendations of the Richards' Report and their implementation through new guidance issued by the Department of Health and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Practical challenges arise from the insistence upon the ,separate' delivery of self-funded medicines, and more flexible cost-effectiveness thresholds for end of life medicines may have repercussions for other patients. While undoubtedly part of the trend towards explicit rationing, top-up fees might also represent a significant step towards regarding the NHS as a core, basic service. Finally, the issue of top-up fees is located within the broader context of current cancer research priorities and persisting health inequalities. [source]

Cancer drugs in the real world

ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Shom GOEL
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Refill adherence to repeat prescriptions of cancer drugs to ambulatory patients

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 3 2007
HANS LIEDHOLM md, phd
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

The search for low energy conformational families of small peptides: Searching for active conformations of small peptides in the absence of a known receptor,

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 15 2007
Katrina W. Lexa
Abstract Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Tamoxifen is the preferred drug for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer treatment, yet many of these cancers are intrinsically resistant to tamoxifen or acquire resistance during treatment. Therefore, scientists are searching for breast cancer drugs that have different molecular targets. Previous work revealed that 8-mer and cyclic 9-mer peptides inhibit breast cancer in mouse and rat model systems, interacting with an unknown receptor, while peptides smaller than eight amino acids did not inhibit breast cancer. We have shown that the use of replica exchange molecular dynamics predicts structure and dynamics of active peptides, leading to the discovery of smaller peptides with full biological activity. These simulations identified smaller peptide analogs with a conserved turn, a ,-turn formed in the larger peptides. These analogs inhibit estrogen-dependent cell growth in a mouse uterine growth assay, a test showing reliable correlation with human breast cancer inhibition. We outline the computational methods that were tried and used with the experimental information that led to the successful completion of this research. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007 [source]

Latest news and product developments

PRESCRIBER, Issue 4 2008
Article first published online: 20 MAR 200
Suicide warning for all antidepressants All antidepressants are to include a warning of the risk of suicide in their product information, the MHRA says. The requirement formerly applied only to SSRIs but, following a US review of safety data, the Agency says the risk is similar for all classes of antidepressants. Patients at increased risk include young people with psychiatric morbidity and those with a history of suicidal ideation. Patients are at increased risk of suicide until remission occurs, and clinical experience shows that the risk is increased during the early stages of recovery. Confusion over type 2 diabetes management Contradictory findings have been reported from two studies of intensive management of type 2 diabetes. The STENO-2 study (N Engl J Med 2008;358:580-91) found that tight control of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipids plus low-dose aspirin in 160 patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria significantly reduced all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death and microvascular complications by 40-60 per cent. The US National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute has announced the end of the intensive treatment arm of the ACCORD study (unpublished). This study was comparing intensive lowering of blood glucose below currently recommended levels (target HbA1C <6 per cent) with conventional management in adults with type 2 diabetes at especially high risk for heart attack and stroke. Although mortality was reduced in both arms compared with other populations, intensive treatment was associated with increased mortality equivalent to three deaths per 1000 patients per year over four years. Another antibiotics campaign The Government has launched another campaign to promote public awareness that antibiotics are not appropriate for viral infections causing coughs, colds and sore throats. Get Well Soon , Without Antibiotics is supported by a national advertising campaign and leaflets and posters encouraging the public to ask advice rather than demand a prescription. Details are available at www.dh.gov.uk. Episenta: once-daily sodium valproate Following a launch to specialists last year, a new once-daily modified-release formulation of sodium valproate is being promoted more widely to GPs. Episenta is licensed for the treatment of all forms of epilepsy and is formulated as modified-release capsules of 150mg and 300mg and sachets of modified-release granules of 500mg and 1000mg. The dose may be administered once or twice daily. Patients may be switched from enteric-coated tablets of valproate to the same dose given as Episenta. Episenta costs £5.70 or £10.90 for 100 × 150mg or 300mg capsules, and £18 or £35.50 for 100 × 500mg or 1000mg sachets. Latest NICE agenda The Department of Health has referred a new batch of topics for appraisal by NICE. Six of seven technology appraisals are for cancer drugs; the last is for dabigatran etexilate for venous thromboembolism. There will be four new clinical guidelines: autism spectrum disorders, hypertension in pregnancy, bed-wetting in children and severe mental illness with substance abuse. Two combined public health and clinical guidelines will address alcohol misuse. Varenicline vs NRT Varenicline (Champix) offers slightly greater smoking cessation rates than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the long term and better symptom improvement, an international study has shown (Thorax 2008; published online:10.1136/ thx.2007.090647). A total of 746 smokers were randomised to treatment with varenicline 1mg twice daily for 12 weeks or transdermal NRT (21mg reducing to 7mg per day) for 10 weeks. Continuous abstinence rates for the last four weeks of treatment were 56 vs 43 per cent. The corresponding rates for one year were 26 and 20 per cent. Varenicline was associated with greater reductions in cravings, withdrawal symptoms and smoking satisfaction, but more nausea (37 vs 10 per cent). Adverse reactions class effect of statins The MHRA has identified several adverse effects that it says are class effects of the statins (Drug Safety Update 2008;1:Issue 7). Following a review of clinical trials and spontaneous reports, it is now apparent that any statin may be associated with sleep disturbance, depression, memory loss and sexual dysfunction; interstitial lung disease has been reported rarely. Product information is being updated to include the new information. Depression, including suicidal ideation, has also been associated with varenicline (Champix), the MHRA says; affected patients should stop treatment immediately. The combination of transdermal nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and varenicline appears to be associated with a higher incidence of nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, dyspepsia and fatigue than NRT alone. The MHRA has also announced that, following the suspension of marketing authorisation for carisoprodol (Carisoma), it is considering a phased withdrawal of the closely-related meprobamate , the main active metabolite of carisoprodol. Following a successful pilot study, the public are being encouraged to report adverse reactions on yellow cards; the MHRA notes that health professionals provide more complete reports but patients include more information about quality of life. The scheme will be promoted via community pharmacies throughout the UK from February 2008. Cochrane: evidence on back pain interventions The latest release of Cochrane reviews includes three meta-analyses assessing interventions for back pain. Overall, NSAIDs were found to be effective as short-term treatment for acute or chronic back pain but the effect size was small. They were comparable with paracetamol but associated with more adverse effects; COX-2 selective NSAIDs were similarly effective, with slightly fewer adverse effects. There was no evidence that antidepressants reduced back pain but intensive individual patient education (lasting 2.5 hours) was effective for acute and subacute back pain and comparable with manipulation and physiotherapy; its effects on chronic pain were unclear. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd [source]