BEST NEWS EVER!! First human trials of prostate cancer drug shock doctors

[BigBearJohn]

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota announced on Saturday details surrounding the first human trials of a prostate cancer drug called Ipilimumab.

In their initial results, the doctors said, two men who were expected to die made dramatic recoveries after just a single dose.

One of the doctors said, according to a report in Saturday's Independent, that the results are akin to the first time a human broke the sound barrier, calling it "one of the holy grails of prostate cancer research."

The UK paper reported:

Rodger Nelson and Fructuoso Solano-Revuelta were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and sought treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

They were told the disease had spread beyond the prostate. Mr Nelson's cancer was encroaching on the abdomen and Mr Solano-Revuelta's tumour was the size of a golf ball. Patients in such condition are told they may have only months to live, and are normally only offered palliative care. But after one infusion of the drug ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system, given with conventional hormone therapy, their tumours shrank enough to be surgically removed. Both men have since made a full recovery and returned to their businesses.

SOURCE: http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/06/first-human-trials-of-prostate-cancer-drug-shock-doctors/

[bigbrother05]

1. k&r

[krawhitham]

2. k&r

[Lagomorph]

3. Better than Dead.

On December 10, 2007, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medarex released the results of three studies on ipilimumab.

One of the three studies failed to meet its primary goal of shrinking tumors in at least 10.0% of the study's 155 patients. The three studies tested 487 patients with advanced skin cancer. Side effects are often considered acceptable risks for cancer drugs given the severity of the disease, and ipilimumab is no exception.

The medication caused rashes, diarrhea and hepatitis in a number of the patients being tested. Despite the weaker-than-anticipated results, the companies are still planning to meet with regulatory agencies to discuss moving ahead with the medication.

They hope to submit a filing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval in the first half of 2008. Since patients suffering from extremely serious diseases like melanoma have so few treatment options, the companies believe that even the marginal success rate will be appealing to some.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipilimumab

[Upfront]

4. K&R

Great news.