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New Drugs Against Cancer Stirred Tremendous Optimism

Medical Research Team
There have been waves of excitement due to the two experimental drugs Erbitux and Avasten, which in chemical tests have demonstrated their effectiveness as innovative tools to curtail the rapid growth of cancer cells. Although they do not provide a cure for cancer, they at least extend the lives of cancer patients from a couple of months to a couple of years. Furthermore, they do not cause physical discomfort as in the case of conventional chemotherapy. 
    In an extisting mood at the annual meeting of the American Society of Chemical Oncology, in Chicago, Illinois, on the weekend of May 30-June 1, 2003, Dr. Mace L. Rothenberg of the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, stated “these are new weapons, working in new ways that allows us to do better…” These two drugs were tested in terminal patients with colorectal cancer that had invaded other sections of their bodies. At that critical phase, these new drugs will not prevent death, but they have proven to extend the lives of these patients. It is noteworthy to point out that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in America, with a casualty rate of at least 57,000 on an annual basis. Only lung cancer has a more devastating casualty rate. In the past, patients with advanced colon cancer had a survival rate of a year. The introduction of new chemotherapy drugs known as irinotecan and oxahplatin have prolonged lives to eighteen months. With the further treatment of Avasten and Erbitux, there is a survival rate of up to two years. In the past, according to the renowned oncologist, Dr. Neal J. Meropol, director of the gastrointestinal cancer program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, “you are talking of patients who couldn’t make plans for next Thanksgiving and suddenly they are thinking about their grandson’s Bar Mitzvah.” 
    In the Erhibux Clinical Testing which included 329 patients, this drug in collaboration with irinotecan shrank tumors in 22.9% of those patient who had utilized every other treatment options. Patients who were given exclusively Erbitux saw only 10.8% shrinkage of their tumors. This was the same rates of shrinkage in earlier tests: 22.5% in usage with irinotcan and 10.5% by itself.
    A major objective of the new trial was to find out whether combination was better than Erbitux alone. The test was not set up to find out whether Erbitux extends lives. Erbitux has been a curse and a blessing for its biotechnology developer, Cobilmclone Systems. It had invested heavily in this new drug, and the FDA’s initial rejection of its chemical tests in 2001 resulted in its Chairman, Samuel D. Warsal violation of the Security Exchange Control rules by selling off most of his stocks in the company when his brother, Dr. Harlan W. Waksai told him Exbitux would not be put on the market as they expected. It has led to him being sentenced to a stiff sentence of 71/2 years. His impatience also led to his friend Martha Stewart’s indictment for obstruction of justice for lying about the reasons she decided to sell her Imclone stocks. The new results have to be seen as a belated blessing. It raises questions on whether the FDA could have approved the drug from its initial tests because the new tests only affirm what was discovered months before by the company’s researchers. 
    Exritux is well accepted by oncologists because of its blocking actuation of a molecule known as epidermal growth factor which triggers tumor cells to grow. During the time, Erbitux was going through further testing to meet FDA’s requirements, another powerful and effective drug which works the same way, Iressa by Astra Zeneca has won approval, specifically for lung cancer, not colon cancer.
Presently, the biotechnology companies Abigenix and Amgen in a joint venture are engaged in a similar colon cancer drug and its results so far have led to the believe that it will be as effective as Erbitux without the attendant serious allergic reactions experienced by a small percentage of Erbitux patients.
    There has been conclusive evidence that Erbitux shrinks tumors. In the case of Avasten, there are concrete observations that it extends terminal colorectal patients’ lives. The primary objective of the Avasten Clinical tests was to see if it could be used to extend the lives of those who were in the advanced terminal stage of the disease. In the case of Erbrtux, it was tested in patients who had exhausted all earlier treatments.
    The scientists at Genentech are elated at the results of Avasten, in spite of the fact that six of its patients suffered perforations of their intestines and one succumbed to its side effects. Those in the oncology arena, expect the FDA to approve Avasten by the end of the year. This powerful wonder drug blocks vascular endothelial growth factor, a protein which accelerates the development of blood vessels. As a matter of special interest, thirty years ago, Dr. Judah Folkman of Children’s Hospital in Boston, put forth the theory that by blocking the growth of blood vessels, it would dramatically arrest the growth of tumors by starving them of their necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, over the past three decades, attempts to do so by using various new drugs had not borne positive results. Avasten was initially tested to extend the life of breast cancer patients. It came as a total surprise that a drug, which failed in its specific mission, has brought so much promising results in regards to colon rectal cancer.
Additional credit goes to New York Times and Journal of American Medical Association.

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