Orphan Drug Designation Given to New Mesothelioma CAR T-Cell Therapy
In early 2023, the world-class Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania will open a groundbreaking clinical trial for mesothelioma patients utilizing a next-generation immunotherapy with a novel delivery platform.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the path in September by granting orphan drug designation for SynKIR-110, a CAR T-cell therapy designed to target solid tumors expressing a specific protein typically found in mesothelioma cancer.
By granting the orphan drug designation, the FDA can provide financial incentives such as tax credits for clinical trials and seven years of market exclusivity. It i...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - October 5, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Source Type: news
Rare Mesothelioma Cancer Discovered in Quarter Horse
No one is immune to the effects of toxic asbestos fibers, the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer. Not even horses.
Although mesothelioma is a rare cancer in humans, it is even more rare in animals, particularly horses that spend most of their time grazing outdoors. But it still happens.
Both pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma cancer were identified during the autopsy of a 22-year-old gelding quarter horse that had spent much of its working life in equestrian tourism activities.
Animals, an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to veterinary sciences, detailed the rare mesothelioma case report...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - October 4, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Source Type: news
U.S. Court of Appeals Hears Challenge to J & J ’s Bankruptcy Plan
Johnson & Johnson’s controversial bankruptcy filing, designed to limit its soaring talc liabilities, was challenged Sept. 26 before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia.
A three-judge panel heard oral arguments on whether Johnson & Johnson should be permitted to shift billions of dollars in mass tort liabilities to a newly created entity, which immediately filed for bankruptcy.
The court’s decision is not expected until later in 2022. Regardless of the outcome, several legal experts believe yet another appeal will be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Attorneys repre...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - September 28, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Source Type: news
Asbestos Health Screenings in Libby, Montana, Expanding
Highly specialized asbestos exposure health screenings in Libby, Montana, have gone mobile.
In an effort to identify lung abnormalities at their earliest stage, the groundbreaking Center for Asbestos Related Disease – known as CARD – has begun touring the state, offering its services to those unable or unwilling to travel.
The efforts have been well received.
Libby is a small town in rural northwest Montana that is home to one of the largest human-made environmental disasters and longest-running asbestos cleanup project in American history.
Although restoration is all but complete in the scenic and charming...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - September 20, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Source Type: news
ADAO Asbestos Prevention and Awareness Conference Runs Sept. 16-17
Discussions Offer Opportunities to Learn
Saturday will feature an academic conference highlighted by four 90-minute panel discussions that include many of the experts who have gathered for the event.
ADAO Saturday Panel Discussions
Session I
Progress and Challenges from the Frontline, with moderator Dr. Celeste Monforton.
Session II
Medical Advancements: Diagnosing and Treating Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos-Related Diseases, with moderator Dr. Arthur Frank.
Session III
Prevention: Legacy Asbestos: What is it? Where is it? What Do I Do? with mo...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - September 15, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos (general) Awareness/Advocacy Source Type: news
New Era for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma New Era for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
The treatment options for malignant pleural mesothelioma are limited, but recent innovations have ushered in a new era in the management of this rare type of cancer.Journal of Clinical Oncology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - September 15, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Hematology-Oncology Journal Article Source Type: news
Asbestos Found in Talc-Based Tiger Brands Baby Powder
Johnson & Johnson isn’t the only market leader struggling with the issue of asbestos-contaminated talc in its baby powder.
Tiger Brands, the largest food producer in South Africa, has recalled its Purity Essentials Baby Powder as a “precautionary measure,” after trace amounts of asbestos were detected in test samples.
The recall was announced Sept. 8, less than a month after Johnson & Johnson informed company shareholders that it was ending the worldwide sale of its talc-based product in 2023.
Tiger Brands, one of the largest packaged goods companies on the continent, is expected to continue selling ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - September 14, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Source Type: news
Kaiser Study Shows Benefits of Mesothelioma Specialty Centers
Patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma are better managed and survive longer when treated at an integrated specialty center, according to a study by Kaiser Permanente that compared its own performance before and after making the transition to specialty care.
Doctors at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health care system found a dramatic improvement once more specialized and standardized treatment was established for mesothelioma patients.
The Journal of Thoracic Disease published the results of the findings in August.
Mesothelioma patients at Kaiser were three times more likely to receive treatment ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - September 13, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Cancer Center Doctors/Specialists Treatment Source Type: news
Study: ‘ Drug-Factory ’ Technology Kills Mesothelioma Tumor Cells in Mice
Tiny, drug-producing beads implanted in the chest cavity could one day provide a powerful platform that would change the way mesothelioma cancer is treated.
In a recent study, researchers from Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine demonstrated the implants’ impressive effectiveness in mice, raising hopes of a possible breakthrough for this tough-to-treat cancer.
Researchers have already met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and hope to open a clinical trial to begin testing the procedure’s effectiveness on mesothelioma patients by the second half of 2023. Clinical Cancer Research publis...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 30, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
Major Section of Libby Asbestos Superfund Cleanup Completed
Twenty years after being placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List, the Libby, Montana, asbestos Superfund site continues its slow but steady climb toward total restoration.
The EPA announced earlier this month that cleanup of another major section had been completed, the fourth of a sprawling, eight-unit project that began in 2002.
Operable Unit 6, as this one is officially called, includes railyards owned and operated by BNSF Railway, one of the largest freight railroads in North America. It also encompasses 41 miles of railroad right-of-way through Libby and adjoining Troy, Mo...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 23, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Source Type: news
Blood Serum Diagnostic Test for Mesothelioma Explored in Study
One of the biggest obstacles to treating pleural mesothelioma cancer effectively is its often late-stage diagnosis. A recent study shows encouraging signs that those days could be ending.
Novel diagnostic testing using blood serum and infrared spectroscopy is being explored to better characterize and differentiate mesothelioma in its early stages from other lung diseases and benign effusions.
The study is being conducted by scientists and doctors in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, spread through various hospitals and university medical centers within the region. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Molecular Basis of Disea...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 22, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Diagnosis Pleural Source Type: news
Verismo Therapeutics Announces Submission of IND Application to the FDA for SynKIR-110TM, a KIR-CAR T-cell Immunotherapy Candidate
Company advances towards in-human clinical trials for SynKIRTM platform targeting Mesothelin-Expressing Advanced Ovarian Cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma, and Mesothelioma
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 19, 2022 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- Verismo Thera... Biopharmaceuticals, Oncology Verismo Therapeutics, KIR-CAR, CAR T-cell therapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)
Source: HSMN NewsFeed - August 19, 2022 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Studies Keytruda, Lenvatinib Combination
The objective response rate of the Keytruda/lenvatinib combination was an impressive 58%.
In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Keytruda for certain metastatic tumors, including certain cases of mesothelioma, but the search for an effective combination continues.
Lenvatinib has shown it can block tumor growth by targeting specific proteins Keytruda can’t reach. It has been effective with only select cancers and is known as precision medicine.
The drug, which is already FDA approved, has been used successfully with Keytruda for the treatment of endometrial cancer. Lenvatinib is prescr...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 17, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Pleural Source Type: news
Johnson & Johnson Ends Worldwide Sale of Talc-Based Baby Powder
Against the wishes of its shareholders, Johnson & Johnson announced Aug. 11 that it would end the worldwide sale of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in 2023.
The company had already discontinued the sale of the talc-based version of its iconic baby powder in the U.S. and Canada in 2020 when it became the target of thousands of lawsuits. Most claimed J&J’s talc was contaminated with toxic asbestos and causing serious health problems, including mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
Instead of using talc, the company will transition to a cornstarch-based product, which already is being sold in several countries a...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 15, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Legal Source Type: news
Camp Lejeune Veterans Win Justice
On Wednesday, Aug. 10, President Joe Biden signed the comprehensive Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 into law, allowing military veterans and families harmed by contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to file lawsuits against the federal government.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which focuses on four decades of water contamination, is just one part of the much broader PACT Act, which expands access to health care and disability benefits for veterans harmed by toxic exposures around the world.
Biden lauded the bipartisan support for the PACT Act at the signing.
“There are a lot of issues we can...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 10, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Chris Elkins Tags: Veterans Source Type: news
