Posted on 07/14/2006 7:19:31 AM PDT by Main Street
WASHINGTON, July 12 (UPI) -- Hundreds of novel anti-cancer agents have entered clinical trials in the first six months of this year, according to a report released Wednesday by a firm that tracks drug development.
Katie Siafaca, spokeswoman for New Medicine, which released the report, said there has been a dramatic rise in the number of drugs being developed for treating cancer in recent years.
"It's a tremendous increase in the last five or six years," Siafaca told United Press International, noting there are 100 compounds in phase 1 clinical development alone. "Everything has increased dramatically."
The compounds in development are listed in New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE, which the firm describes as an "inclusive analysis of all aspects of oncology drug development globally." In addition to the compounds in clinical trials, New Medicine's database contains hundreds of drugs in preclinical development.
One reason for the increase in cancer drug development is they now have blockbuster potential, Siafaca said. "This was not the case 10 years ago, so it has shifted the attention away from other diseases to cancer," she said.
"They did not go after cancer in the old days because it didn't seem like a place where you could make a lot of money," she said.
But that has changed because cancer drugs can now be very expensive, with some costing tens of thousands of dollars per patient, and many patients will receive multiple drugs during the course of their disease.
The use of second- and third-line therapies "has made chemotherapy a very big business because one patient may have three or four different treatments before they expire," Siafaca said.
In addition, a lower rate of efficacy and a higher rate of side effects can often be acceptable in this arena, particularly in advanced cancer patients with no other options. "A lot of drugs all they do is extend life by several months but you can still make money off it," she said.
USA Today reported this week that according to a June report from Express Scripts the cost of cancer drugs increased approximately 16 percent last year. The cost of other prescription medications rose only three percent.
The average cost of a monthly prescription for a cancer drug runs about $1,600, the Express Scripts report stated. The report did not include drugs that are administered at a physician's office.
Among the drugs in phase 3 development are several cancer vaccines. This includes Cell Genesys' GVAX, which is being developed for treating prostate cancer. Dendreon's Provange is also in phase 3 for prostate cancer.
Cell Therapeutics' Xyotax is in phase 3 for many different tumor types and Favrille's FavId vaccine is being developed for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Eli Lilly's drug enzastaurin is in phase 3 trials for brain cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Other compounds in the phase 3 pipeline include GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb, which is being developed for many different indications, including breast and kidney cancer.
Introgen's advexin is in trials for head and neck cancer.
Siafaca said there appears to be a trend towards trials involving the combination of approved drugs. Examples of this include Sanofi Aventis' Taxotere, which is in trials in combination with many different agents. Genentech is looking at combinations of its drug Avastin and several other drugs for a variety of cancer types, she said.
The Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America said a survey it conducted last year found that 178 companies were developing 399 compounds for the treatment of cancer.
This included 62 for lung cancer, 50 for prostate cancer, 49 for breast cancer and 35 for colon cancer. The companies also had several compounds in development for various other cancers, including brain, skin, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
Those furthest along for lung cancer included Imclone's IMC-BEC2, Alfacell's Onconase, and Neovastat, which was being developed by the National Cancer Institute.
Eli Lilly's arzoxifene, in phase 3, is being tested to prevent breast cancer and to treat osteoporosis.
Other breast cancer compounds in phase 3 trials included Genta's Genasense, Bristol-Myers Squibb's ixabepilone and GlaxoSmithKline's lapatinib.
But that has changed because cancer drugs can now be very expensive, with some costing tens of thousands of dollars per patient, and many patients will receive multiple drugs during the course of their disease.
The use of second- and third-line therapies "has made chemotherapy a very big business because one patient may have three or four different treatments before they expire," Siafaca said.
In addition, a lower rate of efficacy and a higher rate of side effects can often be acceptable in this arena, particularly in advanced cancer patients with no other options. "A lot of drugs all they do is extend life by several months but you can still make money off it," she said.
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As someone who has watched his mother die a painful death from pancreatic cancer two years ago, a pet leonberger suffer through amputation from bone cancer and die one year ago, and now is watching his brother dying a painful slow death from chemotherapy that has totally destroyed his immune system, and spread the cancer to his spine and brain, I can't help but feel totaly disheartened and disgusted.
With all the major scientific breakthroughs in cancer research that point to cures in the "near future", it's nice to know that the drug companies are working hard not to find those cures to save lives and stop suffering, but to come up with very expensive low-efficacy "treatments" to get as much money as possible from a patient before he or she "expires".
Patients are merely fodder for the machine.
It is disgusting and an outrage. It's all about money.
Everything is about money.
Well, it is not that easy to find even a low efficacy treatment, because most results are "no efficacy". And if somebody stumbled upon a high efficacy stuff, it would make them more money than all the rest of it put together. The thing turned out to be devilishly difficult, much more so than anyone thought it to be decades ago. Thus, rather than feeling disgusted, go into cancer research and see for yourself.
It's tough to watch someone waste away from cancer. I've been there.
Stll, let's remember that the baker is making bread for you only because he's getting paid, not out of the goodness of his heart. It would be nice if pharmaceutical companies could make flawless drugs for free, but it's never going to happen.
The fact is that these pharmaceuticals are extending patient's lives for years and sometimes curing them. Total cancer deaths actually showed a decline in absolute year numbers in the most recent year when data were compiled. That's amazing in a country whose population is increasing and is getting older.
The fact is that they are whores that have opposed time and time again, any research from free or natural cures, that would interfere with them making a buck. Blood-sucking money whores.
It doesn't matter to my why the research is done. And, considering the profits to be had if a truly effective drug were found, I'm glad there is a profit motive.
Sure, some will settle for making a few bucks off drugs that only extend life a few months.
But, as sad as it is, most of the time that information is available to patients and families and they decide (choose) to strive for those few extra months, regardless of financial or quality of life costs.
Many patients and families want whatever options are possible.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I've been there.
Chemo is something that Dr Meglia himself would have probably felt too inhumane to concoct and administer.
"Who owns my polio vaccine? The people! Could you patent the sun?"
- Jonas Salk
I don't have a problem with that.
I have a problem with being held hostage by a government-granted monopoly.
Personally, I believe there are cures out there.
(((PING)))
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