Biotech Strategy Blog

Commentary on Science, Innovation & New Products

Posts from the ‘Hematology’ category

AACR 2013 Posters offer Insights into Biotech Drug Development

In my final post from the 2013 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), I wanted to share some more reflections from my time in the poster sessions. It’s certainly not all mice, and test tubes, and there were some interesting data from biotechnology companies to consider.

Sometimes the data presented is completely new, other times if you are following a product or company you can see the next stage of development and track progress. AACR posters are often not available if you don’t attend the meeting.

Leave a comment

ABT-199 clinical trials suspended after patient death $ABBV

Following a death due to tumor lysis syndrome, AbbVie ($ABBV) have suspended the ABT-199 clinical trial program.  ABT-199 is a promising new drug in development for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that was about to enter phase 3 drug development by the company.

The company has issued no press release, but the clinicaltrials.gov web site shows that that clinical trials are suspended, information confirmed at the BIO CEO 2013 meeting in New York earlier this week. Here’s a quick snapshot taken on Feb 14, 2013 of what the clinicaltrials.gov site shows:

ABT 199 Clinical Trials Suspended ABT 199 clinical trials suspended after patient death $ABBV

Leave a comment

ASH 2012: CTL019 chimeric antigen receptor technology emerging as a new leukemia treatment

For many attendees, the most exciting news at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) held last December in Atlanta was the prospect of personalized T cell therapy for the treatment of patients with B cell cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The potential of this new treatment option was recognized at ASH 2012 by the award to Dr Bruce R. Blazar, MD and Carl H. June, MD of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize for research that generated major translational advances in T-Cell Infusions.

ASH 2012 Carl June MD 1024x576 ASH 2012: CTL019 chimeric antigen receptor technology emerging as a new leukemia treatment

ASH 2012: Carl June, MD receives Ernest Beutler Prize

Leave a comment

ASH 2012: ABT-199 shows promise in CLL and MCL

The “Hallmarks of Cancer” paper by Douglas Hanahan and Robert Weinberg is a classic, and a must read (allow plenty of time) for anyone interested in cancer drug development.

The original 2000 paper, updated in 2011, identified six hallmarks of cancer, “distinctive and complementary capabilities that enable tumour growth and metastatic dissemination:”

  • Sustaining Proliferative Signaling
  • Evading Growth Suppressors
  • Activating Invasion and Metastasis
  • Enabling Replicative Immortality
  • Inducing Angiogenesis
  • Resisting Cell Death
Leave a comment

Who to follow at #ASH12 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in Atlanta

I’m not a great fan of Twitter lists, especially those that imply you are a “Top Cat,” because they can end up being divisive and generate resentment in those not included.

ASH LOGO 300x286 Who to follow at #ASH12 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in AtlantaThat said, without wishing to offend anyone, here’s my initial starting point of those I will be following at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta from December 8 – 11 (#ASH12):

American Society of Hematology

Publications

Patient Advocacy

2 Comments

The Evolving Multiple Myeloma Landscape

New treatments for multiple myeloma (MM) are changing the treatment landscape and that is set to continue over the next few years as several new products come to market.

This year we have seen the FDA approval of subcutaneous bortezomib (Velcade®) and carfilzomib (Kyprolis®). Approval for pomalidomide is anticipated soon.

Sundar Jagannath MD 2012 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium 300x225 The Evolving Multiple Myeloma LandscapeEarlier this week at the 2012 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York, Sundar Jagannath, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine presented on “New IMiD and Proteasome Inhibitors.”

Dr Jagannath told a large audience at the Symposium (also known as the Greenspan Meeting) that he hoped “pomalidomide will get accelerated approval and be in your hands by New Year”

Leave a comment

The Evolving CML Market – which drug to give when?

One of the enduring legacies from the development of imatinib (Gleevec®/Glivec®) for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the long-term survival data from the IRIS (International Randomized Interferon versus STI571) trial that enrolled 1106 patients between June 2000 and January 2001.

Hagop Kantarjian MD CFS 2012 300x225 The Evolving CML Market – which drug to give when?Hagop Kantarjian, M.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston told the 2012 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium (also known as the Greenspan Meeting in honor of the late Ezra Greenspan, M.D.) that:

the 10 year survival rate is 85% in patients treated with imatinib, and that this rises to 90% if you exclude deaths not related to CML.

Leave a comment

AACR 2012: Promising CML & PI3K compounds from Indian company Piramal Healthcare

India to me conjures up thoughts of curry, cricket and call centers.  When I think about the Indian pharmaceutical industry, global manufacturers of generics such as Ranbaxy, Natco and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories come to mind.

AACR 2012 Exhibits Posters 300x225 AACR 2012: Promising CML & PI3K compounds from Indian company Piramal Healthcare

Photo: Pieter Droppert/Biotech Strategy Blog

What I don’t associate India with, is pharmaceutical drug discovery and the development of new drugs.

Pharmaceutical R&D is not only expensive, but requires a high-degree of expertise and comes with a high risk of failure.

Companies in the United States, Europe and Japan still develop most new drugs.

Leave a comment

AACR 2012: ABT-199 is a new Bcl-2 inhibitor with potential in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The New Drugs on the Horizon session at the recent annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting in Chicago showcased several drugs that I expect we will be hearing more of in the future.  I previously wrote about AZD3514 in prostate cancer.

Another small molecule that particularly impressed me in this AACR session was ABT-199, a potent and selective inhibitor of Bcl-2. Steven Elmore from Abbott Laboratories presented impressive early data from an ongoing phase I trial in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Signal transduction pathways.svg  300x220 AACR 2012: ABT 199 is a new Bcl 2 inhibitor with potential in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Bcl-2 is part of the signaling pathway for apoptosis Image Source: WikiCommons Author: Cybertory

Leave a comment

Radotinib approved in South Korea for CML

IY5511 radotinib IL Yang Pharma Korea 300x141 Radotinib approved in South Korea for CML

The Yonhap news agency announced today that the South Korean equivalent of the FDA had approved Il-Yang pharmaceuticals radotinib (brand name Supect) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).  Radotinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, also known by its development code of IY5511.

I briefly mentioned radotinib in my CML update from the ASH 2011 annual meeting.

The Yonhap release quotes an official at the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) as saying that:

“It will be used on patients who have become resistant to existing drugs such as Gleevec, Tasigna and Sprycel.”

Leave a comment