Starting with the news relating to blood cancer. The FDA has approved a new formulation for a class of leukemia patients who possess a genetic abnormality. This genetic factor makes treating the cancer more difficult. The condition is known as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and it affects people who are missing part of chromosome 17 (known as “17p deletion.”) The disease is a common form of leukemia in adults and is often incurable. In the U.S. for example, the number of new cases per year is around 15,000 and the annual death rate is just under 5,000 patients.
Treatments currently involve treatment a combination of chemotherapy, steroids, biological therapy. Due to the genetic abnormality issue, an alternative treatment is required and this is the basis of the new medication.
The developed drug goes under the commercial name Venclexta (generic name venetoclax), and it is designed to indirectly cause cancer cells die. This is by focusing on a protein that encourages growth of cancer cells. The drug, when taken orally, blocks protein formation.
The drug has been developed by the pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Genentech (a subsidiary of Roche.) the drug is not cheap, however, costing around $110,000 for one year of treatment.
To demonstrate the efficiency of the drug, it was tested on 106 people in a clinical trial. Of these, 80 percent had seen the cancer go into remission before it reoccurred. The life-increase benefit from Venclexta has ranged from three months to 19 months.
With the Zika virus drug news, knowledge about the evolution of lethal virus gene structures in Zika has enabled the biotechnology company Replikins Ltd. to begin the development of a vaccine. The drug candidate goes under the lengthy description of a “trivalent Zika-Dengue-Japanese Encephalitis Replikins Synthetic Blocker.”
The development of the Zika drug is at an early stage and animal trials are due to begin in the coming months.
