Hematology Times
ASH 2009
Defibrotide may prevent VOD in children
Bone marrow harvest
Prophylactic use of defibrotide, an investigational polydisperse oligonuceleotide, reduced the incidence of venoocclusive disease (VOD) in pediatric patients undergoing transplantation in a randomized controlled clinical trial. “There was a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality among the patients who received defibrotide prophylactically compared with those who received it for treatment,” said lead author of the study Selim Corbacioglu, MD, of the University of Ulm, Germany. ... [Read Article] Home administration of romiplostim safe and effective
 A recent multicenter study shows that it is safe and effective for people with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) to administer romiplostim at home. The results, which were presented at a poster session at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, showed that the rate of adverse events appeared lower after patients began home administration and did not appear to increase with longer duration of treatment. ... [Read Article] Deferasirox encouraging in hereditary hemochromatosis
Tissue sample
showing hemochromatosis The first trial to assess the safety and efficacy of deferasirox in patients with HFE-related hereditary hemochromatosis and non-transfusional iron overload shows encouraging results that warrant larger studies. The 2 phase, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation study, conducted by Pradyumna Phatak, MD, of Rochester General Hospital, and colleagues, evaluated the drug at 4 levels of dosing: 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/kg/day. ... [Read Article] INCB018424 may be first drug for myelofibrosis
Bone marrow biopsy
showing myelofibrosis INCB018424, an oral investigational dual inhibitor of JAK1 and JAK2 enzymes, is poised to be the first treatment targeted to mechanisms that underlie myelofibrosis. There is currently no approved therapy for this lethal, devastating disease. The drug—referred to as “424” by lead investigator Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, improved performance status, reduced the size of the spleen, and was safe and well tolerated. ... [Read Article] Study shows uniform method of T-cell depletion feasible
Steven Devine, MD
A 3-year, multicenter study suggests it is feasible to employ a uniform method of T-cell depletion in allogeneic stem cell transplants from related donors to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Steven Devine, MD, of Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Ohio, collaborated with researchers at 8 medical centers to test a single processing method for T-cell depletion and evaluate its efficacy. ... [Read Article] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
