Sunday 31 August 2008

The CYPHER� Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent Outperforms The Taxus� Stent In People With Diabetes

�In patients with diabetes, the CYPHER� Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent outperformed the Taxus� Stent with significantly frown rates of in-segment restenosis (a reblockage within the stented surface area), target lesion revascularization (TLR; the need for another interventional procedure) and major adverse events (MACE, a composite of death, heart attack and TLR) at nine months according to clinical data appearing lately in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.


In this multi-center randomized clinical test, the sextet month charge per unit of in-segment restenosis was more than five times lower for the CYPHER� Stent compared to the Taxus� Stent (4.0 percent vs. 20.8 percent respectively (p

"These information provide interventional cardiologists with valuable modern information just about the utilisation of drug-eluting stents in patients with diabetes, whose coronary arteria disease presents such therapeutical challenges," aforesaid Seong-Wook Park, M.D., PhD, F.A.C.C., and Principal Investigator of this trial. Dr. Park is from the Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Cordis has no financial relationship with Dr. Park.


"The pregnant reduction in restenosis associated with the CYPHER� Stent, which translated to better outcomes for patients in terms of TLR and overall MACE, is impressive. It as well is encouraging to line the data in this study on the safety of the CYPHER� Stent in this difficult-to-treat patient role population," Dr. Park continued.


There was no difference between the deuce drug-eluting stents in the rates of death or myocardial infarction (heart attack). The charge per unit of last was 0 percent for the CYPHER� Stent vs. 0.5 percent for the Taxus� Stent (p=0.999). The incidence of heart attack between the two groups was 0.5 pct (p=0.999).


The study included a total of 400 patients divided equally between the CYPHER� Stent and the Taxus� Stent (200 each) from five-spot academic medical centers in Korea between May 2005 and March 2006. All patients had clinically outlined diabetes. This study was supported by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Korea) and a assignment from the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare.


"This study adds to the growing physical structure of clinical evidence around the CYPHER� Stent in diabetics with coronary arteria disease," said Campbell Rogers, M.D., Chief Technology Officer, Cordis Corporation. "These information are coherent with other recently reported clinical visitation data that clearly indicate that the CYPHER� Stent performs other than than the Taxus� Stent in diabetics, which has been a topic of discussion and debate within the medical community for some time."


The CYPHER� Stent does not have an approved indication for role in patients with diabetes in the United States.

About the CYPHER� Stent


The CYPHER� Stent has been chosen by cardiologists worldwide to treat or so three gazillion patients with coronary arteria disease. The safety and efficacy of the device is supported by a robust clinical trial programme that includes more than 70 studies that examine the operation of the CYPHER� Stent in a broad mountain chain of patients.


For more finish information on indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions, see the Instructions for Use available at http://www.cypherstent.com.

About Cordis Corporation


Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a ecumenical leader in the development and manufacture of interventional vascular technology. Through the company's invention, research and development, Cordis partners with interventional cardiologists worldwide to treat millions of patients who brook from vascular disease. More information virtually Cordis Corporation can be found at http://www.cordis.com.


Cordis Corporation has entered into an exclusive world-wide license with Wyeth for the localised delivery of sirolimus in certain w. C. Fields of utilization, including delivery via vascular stenting. Sirolimus, the

Thursday 21 August 2008

Risk Assessment Plays Key Role In Long-Term Treatment Of Breast Cancer

� Breast cancer patients and their physicians may make more informed, semipermanent treatment decisions using risk of infection assessment strategies to help determine chance of recurrence, a inquiry team lED by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported in the Aug. 12 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.


The 2,838 women studied were diagnosed with Stage I through III knocker cancers and had been treated with adjuvant systemic therapy (AST), such as chemotherapy and or tamoxifen between 1985 and 2001, and were in the M. D. Anderson Tumor Registry. The patients in the study were cinque years from the begin of their AST and were cancer-free. The researchers calculated the residual or remaining risk of return from the benchmark of five eld from the start of AST and determined the factors that contributed to a higher residual risk of recurrence.


"Understandably, one of the most common questions posed by bosom cancer survivors is 'What are the chances of it approaching back?'," said the study's leading author, Abenaa Brewster, M.D., assistant prof in M. D. Anderson's Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention. "Now we can buoy tell some women within a certain percentage their future endangerment of recurrence and clinicians may be able to make more informed decisions regarding prescription of prolonged adjuvant endocrine therapy."


Data analysis revealed that 89 percent of the study populations did not feel a recurrence at five-spot years (about 10 years after a woman's initial diagnosis), and 80 percent did non experience a recurrence at 10 years (approximately 15 years after diagnosis).


Brewster commented that, while reassuring for most of the five-year survivors, the per centum of the population world Health Organization had a recurrence is significant to oncologists.


"The magnitude of risk of recurrence should indicate a need for us to consider extensive endocrine treatment for eligible women to further lower their risks," said Brewster. Additionally, the study did not include women wHO received adjuvant systemic therapy with trastuzamab or five-spot years of aromatase inhibitor treatment and therefore the residual risk of exposure of recurrence among those groups of patients could not be determined.


Median follow-up time for women in the study was 28 months. During that time, 216 of the women experient a recurrence. The five-year residual risks of return for patients with Stage I, II and III cancers were 7 percent, 11 pct and 13 percent severally. Patients with Stage II or III versus Stage I disease and patients with mark I versus grade III tumors had a higher risk of late return. Patients wHO had oestrogen receptor-positive tumors who received adjuvant ductless gland therapy as well had a higher risk of recurrence than those with hormone receptor-negative tumors but the difference was not found to gather statistical significance.


The study also indicated a demand for the continued ontogeny of risk-reduction strategies for pre-menopausal knocker cancer survivors because of lack of available therapies in this younger age group. Currently, extended adjuvant endocrine therapy with letrozole (Femara) is available only for postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor positive tumors who have completed basketball team years of tamoxifen therapy.


Co-authors with Brewster are: Francisco J. Esteva, M.D., Ph.D.; Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, M.D.; Banu K. Arun, M.D.; Aman U. Buzdar, M.D.; Daniel J. Booser, M.D.; Vicente Valero, M.D.; and Shu-Wan C. Kau, B.S.N. of M. D. Anderson's Department of Breast Medical Oncology; Melissa L. Bondy, Ph.D., of M. D. Anderson's Department of Epidemiology; Kristine R. Broglio of M. D. Anderson's Division of Quantitative Sciences; and Cesar A. Santa-Maria of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

About M. D. Anderson


The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For captain Hicks of the past nine years, M. D. Anderson has graded No. 1 in cancer care in "America's Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News and World Report.

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center


More info

Monday 11 August 2008

NHS Report Confirms Top Reliability Ranking For Olympus AU640

�Olympus is pleased to announce that for the second sequent year the Olympus AU640 clinical chemistry analyser has been base to be the most reliable over a 12 month study period. These findings ar detailed in the of late published NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency Analyser Monitoring Programme Annual report 2006-20071.


The comparitive NHS sketch assesses the reliability of any mid to high throughput biochemistry and immunochemical assay analyser, as well as the support provided by the tool suppliers. The AU640, in one case again shared top ranking on the survey. The AU640 had a beggarly monthly downtime of just 6 hours, compared to 25 hours downtime time of some analysers registered on the Analyser Monitoring Programme.


As evidenced by the AU640 in the new news report, the reliability and quality of support for all Olympus analysers is predominant.


"Once once more, we ar extremely proud of with the results of this latest report," said Kerri Breasley, Olympus Commercial Marketing Manager, Clinical Chemistry. "The lately launched Olympus AU680 is now set to extend these high standards laid down by the AU640, and to become the latest member of 'The Olympus category heritage group' renowned for reliability and quality."


1. NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency (PASA) Centre for Evidence-based Purchasing (CEP) Analyser Monitoring Programme. Annual write up 2006-7 (CEP 08001). wWW.pasa.nhs.uk/cep.

NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency


NHS PASA CEP evaluates aesculapian technologies and the evidence that supports their use from the perspective of technical, clinical and monetary value effectiveness to enable health care professionals to make sound investment decisions. The full Analyser Monitoring Programme account (CEP 08001) is available at hTTP://www.pasa.nhs.uk/cep.

NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency


More info

Wednesday 6 August 2008

Abbott Agrees To Settle Lawsuit Over Price Of Antiretroviral Norvir


Abbott Laboratories on Wednesday agreed to pay between $10 million and $27.5 meg to settle down an antimonopoly lawsuit filed by HIV/AIDS advocates and other drug companies o'er an increase in the price of the company's antiretroviral drug Norvir, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 7/31).

Abbott in December 2003 quadrupled the per-patient wholesale price of Norvir, which is known generically as norvir. Norvir in the main is victimized as a booster for other peptidase inhibitors. Abbott exempted Medicaid, Medicare and state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs from the price increase and announced it would extend its patient assistance program. The cost of Norvir increased from $51.30 for 30 100-milligram capsules to $257.10 for 30 100-mg capsules, or by $5,000 more annually. In a suit filed in October 2007, GlaxoSmithKline and several pharmaceutics chains -- Safeway, Walgreen, Kroger, Supervalu's New Albertson's and American Sales -- also alleged that Abbott "unlawfully extensive its monopoly position as the sole provider of Norvir" by increasing the drug's toll (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/12/07).

The colonization will need to be approved by a federal judge in Oakland, Calif., where the suit was scheduled to go to trial next month, the AP/Herald Tribune reports. In addition, the final amount of the payout depends on an appeals court ruling of three legal questions, Abbott spokesperson Melissa Brotz said. Attorneys for the plaintiffs did not return calls for gossip.

Abbott is facing six-spot other antimonopoly lawsuits filed by 16 companies, the AP/Herald Tribune reports. Two other lawsuits filed in Illinois have been laid-off (AP/International Herald Tribune, 7/31). "The price adjustment of Norvir was a logical response to advances that Abbott scientists made in treating HIV and captured the fairish value of its unexampled use as a bolster" in combination therapies," Abbott spokesperson Scott Stoffel said. He added that Abbott sees the settlement as being "in the best interests of both parties." According to Stoffel, the agreement calls for the settlement cash in hand to primarily go to HIV/AIDS-related charities (Graybow, Reuters UK, 7/31).


Reprinted with kind permission from hTTP://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the total Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email deliverance at hypertext transfer protocol://www.kaisernetwork.