Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc.’s of the proprietary products division has stated this week that they have worked at getting the exclusive licensing rights they needed in order to distribute Onconase. Onconase is a drug from Alfacell that is used to treat those who have been diagnosed with malignant and inoperable mesothelioma. Along with the licensing rights they have also acquired the right to commercialize it.
Hospitals in Europe have been working on creating a new treatment for the deadly mesothelioma disease and are happy to see that it was a success. The new anticancer drug – which has been called “Vinflunine” – has already proven positive results and higher survival rates on diagnosed patients.
Mr. Banton is a long standing campaigner for the drug Alimta to be listed on the government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This week he received news that they would be taking his recommendation and – something he was very excited to hear about.
Mr Abbott said a re-elected coalition government hoped to have Alimta on the PBS in January. Labor has also supported the drug’s listing. Alimta became a campaign issue last week when Mr Abbott apologised after Mr Banton tried to present a 17,000-signature Alimta petition at the minister’s Sydney electoral office.
Researchers are constantly trying to find new and better cures for patients who have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. One of the clinical treatments that they had experimented with was called Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a treatment that promotes or supports the body’s immune system response to a disease.
Chemotherapy is a treatment option that is used to treat mesothelioma. It may be used to achieve different goals, depending on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis and the age and health of the patient as well. Since chemotherapy for mesothelioma is not considered “curative”, the goal is only to control the cancer by stopping its spread or slowing its growth, to shrink tumors prior to other treatments, such as surgery(this is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy).
There are many different treatmet options that are offered to patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. One of those options is surgery to remove the cancer from the body. Recently a new test has been approved by the FDA to monitor patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. The MesoMark Assay is an in-vitro test that monitors levels of the biomarker mesothelin, the concentration of which is proportional to the size of the tumor allowing physicians to monitor existing tumors, patient response to therapy, effectiveness of treatment, and possible recurrences.