Vaccine That Wiped Out Cancer in Mice Ready for Human Trial

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New York: Raising hopes for a cancer vaccine for different types of cancers, researchers have found that injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumours in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals.

A clinical trial was launched in January to test the effect of the treatment in humans with lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system.

The approach works for many different types of cancers, including those that arise spontaneously, said the study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The researchers believe the local application of very small amounts of the agents could serve as a rapid and relatively inexpensive cancer therapy that is unlikely to cause the adverse side effects often seen with bodywide immune stimulation.

“When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumours all over the body,” said senior author of the study Ronald Levy, Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US.

“This approach bypasses the need to identify tumour-specific immune targets and doesn’t require wholesale activation of the immune system or customisation of a patient’s immune cells,” Levy said.

“Our approach uses a one-time application of very small amounts of two agents to stimulate the immune cells only within the tumour itself. In the mice, we saw amazing, bodywide effects, including the elimination of tumours all over the animal,” Levy explained.

Cancers often exist in a strange kind of limbo with regard to the immune system. Immune cells like T cells recognise the abnormal proteins often present on cancer cells and infiltrate to attack the tumour. However, as the tumour grows, it often devises ways to suppress the activity of the T cells.

Levy’s method works to reactivate the cancer-specific T cells by injecting microgram (one-millionth of a gram) amounts of two agents directly into the tumour site.

One, a short stretch of DNA called a CpG oligonucleotide, works with other nearby immune cells to amplify the expression of an activating receptor called OX40 on the surface of the T cells.

The other, an antibody that binds to OX40, activates the T cells to lead the charge against the cancer cells.

Because the two agents are injected directly into the tumour, only T cells that have infiltrated it are activated. In effect, these T cells are “prescreened” by the body to recognise only cancer-specific proteins.

“This is a very targeted approach,” Levy said.

“Only the tumour that shares the protein targets displayed by the treated site is affected. We’re attacking specific targets without having to identify exactly what proteins the T cells are recognising,” Levy added.

Source: http://www.news18.com/news/world/vaccine-that-wiped-out-cancer-in-mice-ready-for-human-trial-1649495.html

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64 percent of antibiotics being sold in India haven’t been regulated: UK study

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According to a study conducted in the UK, millions of antibiotics currently being sold in Indian markets haven’t been approved by the regulator.

64 percent antibiotic medicines that can be found at pharmacies around the country haven’t been regulated, the study said.

Despite pledging to tackle the rising problem of antibiotic resistance, multinational companies continued to manufacture many unapproved formulations, it was found.

Antibiotic resistance is slowly gaining momentum as a global crisis. It occurs when bacteria change in a way that reduces the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections.

As it becomes increasingly prevalent, it also threatens to undermine healthcare systems across the globe.

These findings, therefore, underline grave obstacles to bring antimicrobial resistance under control in India – a country which has one of the highest antibiotic consumption rates and sales in the world.

Parliamentary investigations into failures of the country’s drug regulatory system have also been previously carried out.

For the study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers analyzed figures for fixed dose combination (FDC) antibiotics (formulations composed of two or more drugs in a single pill) and single drug formulation (SDF) antibiotics (composed of a single drug) on the market in India.

Despite the sale of unapproved new medicines being illegal in India, it was found that of 118 different formulations of FDCs being sold in the country between 2007 and 2012, 64 percent (75) were not approved by the national drugs regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Only five of the formulations were approved in the UK or US.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/64-percent-of-antibiotics-being-sold-in-india-havent-been-regulated-uk-study-2078828

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Hot tea linked to esophageal cancer in smokers, drinkers

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If you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol daily, you may want to consider letting your tea cool before you enjoy it. Drinking tea while it’s too hot could increase your risk of esophageal cancer, a new study suggests.

In the study, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, drinking “hot” or “burning hot” tea was associated with a two- to fivefold increase in esophageal cancer, but only in people who also smoked or drank alcohol.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the world and is often fatal, killing approximately 400,000 people every year, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is usually caused by repeated injury to the esophagus due to smoke, alcohol, acid reflux and — maybe — hot liquids.

The study, the largest of its kind, followed close to 500,000 adults in China over an average of 9½ years. Because of the large size, it may set the bar for years to come, according to Neal Freedman, senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, who was not involved in the new research.
Participants who drank tea on a weekly basis were asked to describe its temperature as “warm,” “hot” “or “burning hot.” Drinking “hot” or “burning hot” tea was not, by itself, a predictor of esophageal cancer, which is good news for tea aficionados.

However, for people who smoked tobacco or drank alcohol — both of which are known to cause esophageal cancer — drinking “hot” or “burning hot” tea made their risk of cancer even higher, according to Jun Lv, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Peking University and a lead author on the study.

“Drinking hot tea contributed to cancer only when it clustered with smoking and drinking alcohol excessively,” Lv said.

The researchers collected information about tobacco and alcohol consumption at the beginning of the study. “Excessive alcohol consumption” was defined as 15 grams or more of alcohol per day — slightly more than that found in a 12-ounce glass of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits. Tobacco use was defined as one or more cigarettes per day.
Very hot drinks could make the esophagus more vulnerable to known cancer-causing agents such as alcohol and smoke, Freedman said.
“Irritating the lining of the esophagus could lead to increased inflammation and more rapid turnover of the cells,” he said. “Alternatively, hot liquids may impair the barrier function of the cells lining the esophagus, leaving the tissue open to greater damage from other carcinogens.”
Participants did not objectively measure the temperature of their tea, one of the study’s main limitations. However, previous research has suggested that drinking hot beverages at temperatures above 149 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius) could lead to esophageal cancer.
In a 2016 review in The Lancet Oncology, drinking beverages this hot was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The review looked at all types of hot beverages, including coffee and tea. Only some of the studies in the review took alcohol and tobacco use into account.

In the United States and Europe, tea is rarely consumed at temperatures above 149 degrees — but in places like Russia, Iran, Turkey and South America, it is common to drink tea that hot or even hotter.
“If you go to the Middle East or to Russia, they drink it out of a samovar that’s constantly under heat,” said Peter Goggi, president of the Tea Association of the USA. “It’s very, very hot.”
By contrast, “80% of the tea here is iced, so that’s a completely different story,” he said. “But even in the hot areas, which is in the Northeast and West Coast, most people will be adding something to it, whether it’s a little sweetener or lemon,” slightly decreasing the liquid’s temperature.
Tea also has many health benefits. According to a 2009 study in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, components of tea leaves have been shown to have antioxidant properties and may protect against other types of cancers, particularly colon and prostate cancer.

“Tea is probably one of the most studied food and beverages in the world today,” Goggi said. “Green tea has been shown to be a little more effective in cancer inhibition versus black tea, but black tea has been more effective in cardiovascular health.”
So tea drinkers who don’t smoke or drink alcohol excessively probably don’t need to switch to a different beverage anytime soon, according to Lv.
“Of course, keeping away from both tobacco and excessive alcohol use is the most important means for esophageal cancer prevention,” she added.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/05/health/hot-tea-esophageal-cancer-risk-study/index.html

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Chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer may increase heart failure risk

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The American Heart Association (AHA) has warned that breast cancer treatment which involves chemotherapy and radiation can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

While the advances in treatment have witnessed a growth in survival rate among breast cancer patients, survivors crossing the age of 65, were more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer, the new study showed.

HER-2 and other breast cancers use targeted therapies which could weaken the heart muscle – a condition known as heart failure, it said.

Other therapies could also affect the heart arteries and cause the development of coronary artery disease or blockages, the study added.

Prompting attention to the fact that during treatment not only one’s breast health but also general health, including that of the heart, should be considered, the researchers suggested.

“Any patient who is going to undergo breast cancer treatment, whether they have heart disease at the beginning or not, should be aware of the potential effects of the treatments on their heart,” said Indian-origin Laxmi Mehta, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University in the US.

However, it should not deter or scare patients from undergoing the cancer treatment, instead, allow them to make informed decisions with their doctor on the best option available, Mehta added, in the statement published in the journal Circulation.

In some cases, post cessation of the treatment and/or the addition of heart medicines can improve heart function.

Administering Doxorubicin – a chemotherapy drug – used in breast cancer therapy can also lead to the damage of heart cells, but, giving the drug slowly, rather than all at once, may lower the risk of heart failure.

Doctors were also developing more-targeted radiation to reduce risks, the statement said.

Adherence to a number of ideal heart health behaviours including being physically active, achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight could help.

Besides, eating a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco, maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar may help prevent or minimise the damage.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/chemotherapy-treatment-for-breast-cancer-may-increase-heart-failure-risk-2078290

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Treatment against blindness to sell for $850,000 in US

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There are currently about 1,000 cases of people who suffer from hereditary degeneration of the retina, and 10 to 20 new cases are expected to be added each year.

Luxturna, a medication against hereditary degeneration of the retina that can lead to total blindness, will be sold for $850,000 in the United States, making it one of the world’s most expensive medical treatments.

It is administered in a single dose, according to its manufacturer, Philadelphia-based Spark Therapeutics.

It will retail for $425,000 per eye, which is less than the $1 million price tag that had been expected before the company received FDA approval in mid-December.

The announcement comes amid a growing debate in the United States over the high cost of medicine, particularly for supposedly innovative treatments.

Anticipating criticism, Spark promised to reimburse patients if the treatment proves not to be effective, and said it expects US health authorities to authorize payment in stages.

In doing so, the company is following the lead of Novartis, which sells Kymriah, a treatment for a very aggressive form of leukemia in children and young adults. The Swiss drug maker has pledged to reimburse insurers and patients if the $475,000 drug doesn’t work.

Luxturna is considered the first American medication to emerge from gene therapy, which consists of repairing a defective gene.

There are currently about 1,000 cases of people who suffer from hereditary degeneration of the retina, and 10 to 20 new cases are expected to be added each year.

Besides Luxturna, several other medications are near the million-dollar price mark, although they are often administered in several doses.

Such is the case with Spinraza (known as Nusinersen in Europe), developed by Biogen and Ionis against muscular dystrophy, and Soliris, made by Alexion Pharmaceuticals to treat a rare form of kidney disease. Both cost around $750,000.

The prize for the world’s most expensive medication goes to Glybera, which its Dutch developer UniQure sells for $1 million as a treatment for several genetic maladies.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/treatment-against-blindness-to-sell-for-850-000-in-us/story-lqQEuoEE1txBeUPYB3b9KO.html

Novel blood test may help you measure your heart health

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London: Researchers have found a new blood test that could provide a clue as to why some patients are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease risk after suffering a heart attack.

The results showed novel therapies targeting fibrin clot lysis time may improve prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

“Our findings provide exciting clues as to why some patients are at higher risk after a heart attack and how we might address this with new treatments in the future,” said co-author of the study Rob Storey, a professor from the University of Sheffield, UK.

For the study, published in European Heart Journal, researchers analysed blood plasma samples from more than 4,300 patients with acute coronary syndrome as they were discharged from the hospital.
They measured the maximum density of a clot and the time it took for the clot to break down — known as clot lysis time.

After adjustment for known clinical characteristics and risk factors, the study found that the patients with the longest clot lysis time had a 40 percent increased risk of recurrent myocardial infarction or death due to cardiovascular disease.

According to the researchers, this research may help them to identify new targets for reducing the risk and eventually lead to more effective treatments.

“We now need to press ahead with exploring possibilities for tailoring treatment to an individual’s risk following a heart attack and testing whether drugs that improve clot lysis time can reduce this risk,” Storey added.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/novel-blood-test-may-help-you-measure-your-heart-health-2079638

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MNCs demand stent price revision

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While multi-national companies are pushing for an increase in the price of cardiac stents, domestic manufacturers are more than happy with the price ceilings introduced by the Centre last year.

In less than two weeks, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) will decide whether the prices of cardiac stents should be revised or not. In lieu of the impending decision, the pricing regulator held a stakeholders’ consultation earlier this week with multinational companies, domestic manufacturers, importers and distributors as well as civil society representatives, to take in their views.

The price for the drug-eluting stents have been capped at a little less than Rs 32,000 while for bare metal stents the capping is at a little less than Rs 8,000. Earlier, the price of DES ran into over Rs 1-2 lakh.

Giving a lowdown on whether benefits of making stents cheaper have been passed on to the masses, NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh said, “Stent price capping has enabled poor patients to afford new generation Drug Eluting Stents (DES), instead of old Bare Metal Stents (BMS). Use of BMS drastically reduced by over 30% and were replaced by DES. Affordability matters, so do the poor.”

The domestic manufacturers could not agree less. Upto 12 domestic manufacturers across India attended the consultation. While earlier MNCs commanded 70% of market share, while the rest 30% was catered to by domestic companies, after the price capping, the MNC shared has tanked to 60%, while the domestic companies have registered a rise to 40%. “After the price cap, a void was created in the Indian market, as MNCs stopped supplying stents because they did not want to reduce valuation of their brands,” said Pratap Surve, CEO, Veritas Bioventions, a Gujarat-based stent manufacturing company. “We are fine with current stent prices. However we have told the NPPA to not discriminate between MNCs and domestic companies, if at all prices are being revised. There should not be differential pricing between the two.”

While Surve’s company had sold 4,000 stents two years back, he said after the price cap last year, the sales doubled to 8,000. The stent market in India is swelling, with annually five lakh angioplasties and six lakh stents being used, according to latest data and the trend only points to a year-on-year increase in stent use.

However, the MNCs and industry groups like Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and others are unhappy with price ceiling. Upto 11 top representatives like Heads of Government Affairs and Directors or Associate Directors (Finance) of MNCs including Abbott Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Biotronik Medical Devices India Pvt. Ltd., and so on were present for the NPPA consultation. Anil Sharma, Business Unit Head – Vascular of Berlin-based Biotronik Medical Devices India Pvt. Ltd. said that the price cap is choking innovation. “Clinical trials of Magnesium Scaffold stent, a new metal absorbable stent that we are developing have been stopped in India after the price cap. Ten centres including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and Christian Medical College (CMC) were involved in the clinical trials. There is no point in conducting trials now as the price cap is unaffordable for us,” Sharma told dna.

While earlier profit margins for MNCs and hospitals were huge, at 8%, MNCs say their profits have plummeted substantially. However, insiders in the manufacturing industry said that the production cost of a stent is not more than $100 or Rs 8000. “Even with the price cap, every manufacturer has a substantial scope for making profit,” a domestic manufacturer, who did not wish to be quoted, told dna.

CII during the meeting even wished to submit a formula for revision of stent prices and demanded that the ‘margin,’ aspect of the formula be fixed by the industry. NPPA officials refused to accept any such proposal in the meeting and asked CII to mail their views through the formal channels.

FOR A HEALTHY HEART
NPPA held a stakeholders’ consultation earlier this week with multinational companies, domestic manufacturers, importers and distributors to take in their views.
The price for the drug-eluting stents have been capped at a little less than Rs 32,000 while for bare metal stents the capping is at a little less than Rs 8,000.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-mncs-demand-stent-price-revision-2582801

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Good News: National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority reduces price of stents

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The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) Monday further slashed prices of the expensive cardiac stents while marginally increasing the cost of the basic stents.

After several rounds of consultation with various stakeholders, the NPPA cut the price of drug-eluting stent (DES) by Rs 1,710 (from Rs 29,600 to Rs 27,890) while increasing the price of bare metal stent (BMS) by Rs 400 (from Rs 7,260 to Rs 7,660).

The trade margin has been capped at 8%, the NPPA said in an order, which makes the current rates valid till March 31.

“All manufacturers of coronary stents, selling branded or non-branded… at prices higher than the ceiling price… shall revise the price of all such stents downward not exceeding the ceiling price,” the order said.

The order mandates hospitals to provide a clear break-up of the prices levied for other items used in medical procedures.

While there was fear of NPPA giving into industry pressure and increasing the price, experts feel the price could have been decreased further. “It is not really slashing of the price. There was scope for further reduction,” says GS Grewal, core committee member, Alliance of Doctors on Ethical Healthcare.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/national-pharmaceutical-pricing-authority-reduces-price-of-stents/story-3yxo4QkQTEuFijtkCh8smK.html

Photo: Dmitry Stolyarov, a heart surgeon, holds a stent.(REUTERS File Photo)

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Hormone therapy could help reduce age-related curvature of spine in women

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It is well documented that the significant declines in estrogen experienced during the menopause transition contribute to accelerated bone loss. Now, a new study has found that undergoing hormone therapy may be effective in reducing age-related curvature of the spine in post-menopausal women.

Hyperkyphosis, sometimes called dowager’s hump, is an exaggerated curvature of the spine that creates a forward stooped posture.

Beyond its adverse aesthetic effects, hyperkyphosis is associated with poor physical function, an increased risk of falls and fractures, and earlier mortality.

Women who reported continuous or remote past hormone therapy use had less pronounced kyphosis by the time they were in their mid-80s than never-users.

The results support the argument for hormone therapy as a possible early post-menopause treatment for women concerned about their posture and fracture risk, the researchers said.
“Women who reported early use of hormone therapy were less likely to develop age-related kyphosis, and the protective benefits continued even after stopping the therapy,” said JoAnn Pinkerton, Executive Director at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) — a US-based non-profit organisation.

“This supports a benefit of prescribing hormone therapy close to menopause,” Pinkerton added in a paper published in the journal Menopause.

It is well known that the significant declines in estrogen experienced during the menopause transition contribute to accelerated bone loss. Hormone therapy has been known to help reverse bone loss and prevent fractures.

Given that hyperkyphosis is also associated with bone loss and vertebral fractures, the researchers hypothesised that hormone therapy may also be effective in helping prevent exaggerated spine curvature.

The team involved more than 9,700 women aged 65 years and older who were evaluated over a 15-year period.

During the first three years of hormone therapy use, bone density has been shown to increase steadily and then is maintained during continued use.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/new-study-says-hormone-therapy-could-help-reduce-age-related-curvature-of-spine-in-women/story-dTFtNKWSH0nbgJuRiXOZ6L.html

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Researchers identify new drug that may extend women’s fertility by 6 years

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As studies attempt to unearth the various causes of infertility among women, a new drug has shown promise in potentially extending women’s fertility by three to six years.

Researchers at the Princeton University in the US have identified a drug that extends egg viability in worms, even when taken midway through the fertile window, thus paving the way for fertility treatments among women.

“One of the most important characteristics of aging is the loss of reproductive ability in mid-adulthood,” said Coleen Murphy, a professor at the Princeton University.

“As early as the mid-30s, women start to experience declines in fertility, increased rates of miscarriage and maternal age-related birth defects. All of these problems are thought to be caused by declining egg quality, rather than a lack of eggs,” Murphy added.

The team used a microscopic worm, Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans), as they share many of the genes as humans, including longevity genes.

They found that a group of proteins called Cathepsin B proteases “downregulate”, or lead to lower-quality oocytes (unfertilized eggs), as one ages.

When the team administered the Cathepsin B inhibitor halfway through the worms’ reproductive period, they found that even a late administration of the drug could extend the worms’ egg quality.

Another experiment that knocked out the cathepsin B genes entirely succeeded in extending worms’ fertility by about 10 percent.

If applied to humans, Nicole Templeman from the varsity said, “It could be a three to six-year extension of your reproductive period”.

The reproductive decline is a hallmark of aging, but despite its prevalence, interventions to slow the loss of reproductive capacity are lacking, researchers said.

However, the cathepsin B inhibitor is nowhere near ready for testing in humans, Murphy said, yet it could one day do something mid-reproduction to improve the rest of reproduction.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/researchers-identify-new-drug-that-may-extend-womens-fertility-by-6-years-2083851

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