EIN Presswire: Prostate Cancer Press Releases

The Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer Raise Awareness and Funds in the Fight Against Prostate Cancer

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

The Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer Raise Awareness and Funds in the Fight Against Prostate Cancer

PR Newswire

Actress Angie Harmon to Appear in Public Service Campaign about Prostate Cancer

LOS ANGELES and PLEASANTON, Calif., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Actress and Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador Angie Harmon will appear in a new prostate cancer campaign on behalf of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and The Safeway Foundation. The campaign is designed to raise funds and increase awareness for the fight against the disease, which currently affects more than two million American men and remains the second-leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120524/DC13128)

Ms. Harmon, who will return to primetime television in the summer of 2012 in the third season of TNT's original drama series, Rizzoli & Isles, will appear in a print and 30-second broadcast public service announcements in direct support of the campaign.

To debut in June, the public service campaign coincides with Safeway's annual in-store Prostate Cancer Awareness fundraiser, which gives customers multiple opportunities to give at more than 1,450 Safeway stores across the United States. The public service campaign will extend through the month, which includes the national observance of Father's Day on Sunday, June 17.

At the center of the public service campaign is a limited-edition, reusable shopping bag, embossed with the words, "It starts with a wish; it can end with a cure." The bag will be available for purchase at all Safeway locations, including Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Dominick's and Carrs stores, as well as online at safewayfoundation.org. Proceeds will go to prostate cancer research. Additionally, Safeway shoppers will have a chance to make a separate donation at checkout stands.

"I am fortunate to have many leading men in my life — from my father to my husband to my cousins, friends and colleagues — and I am proud to take a stand on behalf of them all," said Ms. Harmon. "Cancer affects everyone, and it's up to all of us to support the important research that can one day make a much sought-after cure a reality."

Safeway Foundation Chair Larree Renda said The Safeway Foundation is honored to join forces with SU2C and Angie Harmon to help take cancer research to the next level.

"There's good news on the cancer research front. The prostate cancer death rate has dropped 40 percent in 17 short years. Nearly 200,000 American men are alive today because of improved treatment. Yet the progress to find treatments and a cure needs to improve," Ms. Renda said. "We can continue to make significant progress and move closer to a cure with the research made possible by SU2C and The Safeway Foundation as well as the passionate message delivered by ambassadors like Angie Harmon."

The collaborative campaign represents a continued dedication to prostate cancer research and awareness for both The Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. To date, Safeway and The Safeway Foundation have raised more than $68 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research. Those donations, provided by Safeway's generous customers, have helped fund 1,600 prostate cancer research projects that are providing hope for treatments and a cure.

In April 2012, Stand Up To Cancer and the Prostate Cancer Foundation announced the formation of a "Dream Team" dedicated to prostate cancer research. The Dream Team — comprised of physicians and scientists from five leading prostate cancer research centers in New York, Boston, Seattle, and London — will receive $10 million over a three-year period for a collaborative project that will address therapeutic interventions for advanced prostate cancer.

"The Safeway Foundation has long been a prominent supporter of prostate cancer awareness and research," said Lisa Paulsen, co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "Stand Up To Cancer is honored to join forces with The Safeway Foundation to work together to help combat a disease that takes the lives of too many men."

For more information on the campaign, visit www.SafewayFoundation.org.

About Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) -- a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization -- raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee conduct rigorous, competitive review processes through which SU2C's grantees are selected. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.

About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,678 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $43.6 billion in 2011. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

SOURCE Stand Up To Cancer

When One Plus One Equals Three

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

When One Plus One Equals Three

PR Newswire

SANTA ROSA, Calif., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a groundbreaking study, Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP), a highly researched natural compound enhanced the anti-cancer effects of two poly-botanical formulas. When co-administered with formulas that attack breast and prostate cancer, MCP significantly increased their anti-cancer action, further reducing metastasis in highly invasive breast and prostate cancer cells. The study was led by researchers at the Cancer Research Laboratory at Indiana University Health and Indiana University School of Medicine, and published in the peer review journal Integrative Cancer Therapies.

"We asked a simple question of whether one plus one can equal more than two," said lead investigator Dr. Daniel Sliva, associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "We know that certain molecules in cancer cells are responsible for their aggressive behavior.
The synergistic effects seen in this study show that we can further suppress these molecules and significantly reduce the cancer cells' aggressiveness."

In the study, low concentrations of the anti-breast cancer formula decreased breast cancer cell adhesion to human fibronectin by 21 percent. However, when co-administered with Modified Citrus Pectin, researchers observed a 40 percent decrease.

In addition, the anti-prostate cancer formula, administered alone, decreased prostate cancer cell adhesion by 9 percent. When MCP was added, adhesion was suppressed by up to 40 percent.

The study also showed that cancer cell migration was also reduced by combining MCP with the prostate and breast formulas.

"This new study is particularly important because it demonstrates that when MCP is combined with either the prostate or breast formula, lower dosages provided more powerful synergistic anti-cancer effects than were observed when these supplements were studied on their own," said
co-author and formulator, Dr. Isaac Eliaz.

It is especially important because of the recent poster presentation of the breast formula at AACR (American Association for Cancer Research), demonstrating its dramatic ability to decrease breast to lung metastasis in an orthotopic triple negative breast cancer animal model.

In addition to examining the aggressive behavior of breast and prostate cancer cells, researchers also assessed levels of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), a protein secreted by cancer cells. High levels of uPA promote cell adhesion, migration and invasion, contributing to cancer
metastasis. As a result, uPA is used as a bio-marker for invasive cancer cells. Previous studies had shown that the poly-botanicals alone suppressed uPA expression. The current study shows that uPA secretion and cancer cell migration were further restricted when cancer cells were
treated with the breast or prostate formulas combined with MCP.

For more information on the following:
*           Breast Health Formula www.BreastHealthSolutions.org
*           Prostate Health Formula www.ProstateHealthSolutions.org
*           Modified Citrus Pectin www.MCPRecommends.org
*           Published Study http://tinyurl.com/cpukkhq

Source: Jiang J, Eliaz I, Sliva D. Synergistic and Additive Effects of Modified Citrus Pectin With Two Polybotanical Compounds, in the Suppression of Invasive Behavior of Human Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells. Integr Cancer Ther. 2012 Apr 24. doi: 10.1177/1534735412442369

About Better Health Publishing

Better Health Publishing (BHP) focuses on the publication of key works promoting health and wellness. BHP believes that education and accessible information are the core components of a healthy and sustainable society.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise™. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Better Health Publishing

Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation Convenes Historic Learning Health System Summit; Stakeholders Collaboratively Work Toward Realizing a National-Scale Learning Health System

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:04:29 +0000

Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation Convenes Historic Learning Health System Summit; Stakeholders Collaboratively Work Toward Realizing a National-Scale Learning Health System

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation (KFF) convened a two-day Learning Health System (LHS) Summit on May 17 and 18 where over 80 prominent individuals representing organizations and stakeholders across the health care and health IT communities gathered at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Participants worked together to begin laying key foundational elements that promise to harmonize and coalesce cutting-edge work presently underway into a national-scale LHS.

A multi-stakeholder, 16-member Planning Committee, including two former United States National Coordinators for Health Information Technology (Dr. David Blumenthal who served under a Democratic administration and Dr. Robert Kolodner who served under a Republican administration), has been working for the past half-year to plan the Summit. The Planning Committee played an instrumental role in identifying participants to be invited and organizations to be represented at this limited-capacity, invitation-only Summit.

Utilizing a definition developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a "Learning Health System" is defined as "one in which progress in science, informatics, and care culture align to generate new knowledge as an ongoing, natural by-product of the care experience, and seamlessly refine and deliver best practices for continuous improvement in health and health care." Achievement of a national-scale LHS will improve health care quality by streamlining research, by supporting public health, by advancing patient safety, and by empowering clinicians and patients alike to make better-informed health decisions through enabling investigators to study what works best for every disease for every patient. Through a learning system, new biomedical knowledge will find its way very quickly into health care.

Participants in the two-day Summit began working toward achieving multi-stakeholder consensus on a set of principles that would underlie the development of a national-scale LHS benefiting stakeholders across the health care spectrum. In certain respects, the Summit was modeled after the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference where a critical mass of key world leaders convened to achieve consensus around principles that ultimately served as the foundation upon which the United Nations was built; the Summit aspires to be to the creation a national-scale LHS what the Dumbarton Oaks Conference was to the founding of the United Nations.

KFF Chairman Joe Kanter framed the two-day summit by asking two critical questions of all participants: 1.) What can a Learning Health System do for you? And 2.) What can you do for a Learning Health System?

"KFF sponsored the Summit because our nation's health care system is facing a grave crisis and the time for action is now," said health care pioneer and prostate cancer survivor Joe Kanter, who is the namesake of the foundation. "A special kind of leadership is required to foster an environment where stakeholders can work together to harmonize and synergize efforts currently underway to collectively build a national-scale LHS. Such leadership must facilitate the development of a national-scale LHS not by controlling, but by stimulating creativity and innovation, as well as providing simple and trustworthy governance." Paying tribute to the Summit's historical significance, Kanter concluded, "The efforts of Summit participants collectively represent one of our nation's great feats in health care by engaging such an impressive and diverse group working together in a collaborative and bi-partisan manner to give the gift of health to our children and our nation."

"I am struck that we may have started something transcendent. I do not believe that, in the history of health in the United States, a multi-stakeholder group like this has ever gathered around an issue of such importance and common interest," said Dr. Charles Friedman, director of the Health Informatics program at the University of Michigan, who chaired the Planning Committee

The Summit generated significant enthusiasm. Recognizing the urgency of harnessing this momentum, KFF Executive Director Josh Rubin stated that, "Key next steps include continuing the consensus process around the principles and working to create a Learning Health Community. This community will develop bottom-up as a coalition of the willing. Its collaborative work ultimately aims to spawn a series of activities catalyzing the rapid development of a national-scale LHS that promises to empower individuals to transform health care and health."

Summit participants represented organizations and stakeholder groups including: patient advocacy and consumer organizations, provider organizations, research organizations, government agencies, payers, clinicians, the pharmaceutical industry, health IT vendors, philanthropic organizations, professional associations, research initiatives and organizations, and thought leaders. For a complete list of participating individuals and the organizations they respectively represented, please see http://kanterhealth.org/featured/2012-summit/.

Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation: http://kanterhealth.org
The Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation and Health Legacy Partnership, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., aims to effectuate a health system that leverages the power of health information technology (HIT) and electronic health records (EHRs) to learn from real-world patient experiences by putting patients at its center.

For More Information: Info@SmarterStory.com or Stan Smith (954) 762-7000

SOURCE The Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation

Exosome Diagnostics Presents Data at American Urology Association Demonstrating Potential Utility of Urine Exosomes to Non-invasively Detect and Manage Prostate Cancer

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Exosome Diagnostics Presents Data at American Urology Association Demonstrating Potential Utility of Urine Exosomes to Non-invasively Detect and Manage Prostate Cancer

Data shows strong correlation between validated prostate cancer gene biomarkers in prostate cancer tissue and urinary exosomes

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Exosome Diagnostics, a leading developer of biofluid-based molecular diagnostic tests for use in personalized and non-invasive cancer diagnostics, today presented two clinical studies demonstrating the potential utility of non-invasive sampling of patients' urine to detect and manage prostate cancer.

In the first study, the presence of a prostate cancer-specific biomarker in exosomes collected from random patients' urine samples demonstrated a strong correlation to the presence of that marker in prostate tissue removed via radical prostatectomy (RP). The study also correlated the expression level of the marker in urine with the likelihood of a positive cancer biopsy.

In a second study, urinary exosomes demonstrated elevated levels of survivin messenger RNA (mRNA) from patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) following primary therapy. Survivin expression has been implicated in hormone-independent prostate cancer growth.

"These studies, led by our director of research, Dr. Leileata Russo and conducted by our clinical collaborators, are part of our prostate cancer in vitro molecular diagnostics program," said James McCullough, chief executive officer of Exosome Diagnostics. "The urinary exosome provides us with a stable source of RNA that we can interrogate using qPCR to non-invasively analyze different stages of prostate cancer."

Motamedinia et al. (abst. # 2108) obtained random samples of urine from men and measured the concordance of prostate cancer with detection of the biomarker, TMPRSS2:ERG (T:E). The investigators found that TMPRSS2:ERG expression occurred in 17 of 21 post-RP tissue samples. They also found that T:E expression in urinary exosomes from non-digital rectal exam (DRE) patients was nine-fold higher in the prostate biopsy positive patients versus biopsy negative patients. The study also demonstrated a high level of concordance between exosome-biomarker signature and the marker's presence in cancerous prostate tissue.

"The diagnosis and management of prostate cancer and patients with elevated PSA remains challenging for both patients and their physicians," said James McKiernan, M.D., the John and Irene Given professor of Urology, director of Urologic Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center and co-author of the study. "Patients with high PSA results must decide whether to undergo a biopsy procedure, which in itself may not be definitive as further suggested from the results of the study. A reliable, non-invasive diagnostic test that can determine the presence and nature of a prostate malignancy as well as its response to treatment would be of great value. The biofluid-based technology highlighted in this study is a very promising approach to reaching this goal."

Lin et al. (abst. # 2232), investigated the relationship of survivin expression measured in exosomes and the disease status of patients diagnosed with CRPC. The presence of survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis, has been implicated as a factor in hormone-independent tumor growth. Survivin expression was higher in patients with measurable disease than in patients without disease and this was correlated with castration resistance.

"Monitoring patient response to treatment is largely limited to PSA testing and new tools are needed," said Daniel Petrylak, M.D., associate professor of medicine, Columbia University Medical Center and co-author of the study. "The non-invasive biofluid test we employed in this study directly measures one component of the genetic profile of malignant prostate cells. This approach should enable us to better understand a patient's response to treatment and, if an alternative therapy is required, an analysis of exosome RNA and DNA content could better direct a treatment decisions."

Exosomes are one of many different sub-populations of microvesicles that can be isolated from biofluids such as blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Exosomes are shed by cells under both normal and pathological conditions. These vesicles contain high quality RNA and DNA that can be extracted and purified for analysis.

About Exosome Diagnostics
Exosome Diagnostics is a leading developer of biofluid-based molecular diagnostic tests for use in personalized medicine. Exosomes are shed into all biofluids, including blood, urine and CSF, forming a stable source of intact, disease-specific nucleic acids. The Company's proprietary exosome technology makes use of this natural stability to achieve high sensitivity for rare gene transcripts and the expression of genes responsible for cancers and other diseases. The Company is commercializing in vitro diagnostic tests for use in companion diagnostic applications and real-time monitoring of disease. Exosome Diagnostics' development program is focused on blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid with programs in collaboration with the Prostate Cancer Foundation in prostate cancer and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cures in brain cancer. The Company maintains facilities in New York, St. Paul, MN and Munich, Germany. For more information, please visit www.exosomedx.com.

SOURCE Exosome Diagnostics

Antibody Drugs: Technologies and Global Markets

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:04:07 +0000

Antibody Drugs: Technologies and Global Markets

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Antibody Drugs: Technologies and Global Markets

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0801344/Antibody-Drugs-Technologies-and-Global-Markets.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biopharmaceutical

INTRODUCTION

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this report is to provide a range of information—from detailed analysis through industry trends—to quantify and qualify the rapidly growing market for therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs. Forecasts and trends are gleaned from industry sources, analyst reports, and company forecasts, as well as from assessment of available and emerging technologies.

The report develops forecasts for sales of the mAb market by individual antibody, by therapeutic antibody target (epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR], cluster of differentiation [CD] 20, tumor necrosis factor [TNF] alpha, etc.), and by major disease applications from 2011 through 2016. Additionally, we examine strategies employed by biopharmaceutical firms to develop and market products in this explosive market sector.

Our main objective is to present a comprehensive analysis of the current market for therapeutic mAb disease-modifying products and to forecast this market's future direction through 2016.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Therapeutic mAbs represent the largest and one of the fastest-growing classes of biopharmaceutical products by sales in the U.S. and throughout the world. Of the top 20 drugs by sales throughout the world today, five are mAbs.

During our forecast period from 2011 through 2016, eight new mAbs are forecast to enter the market, and sales of therapeutic mAbs are estimated to grow from approximately $43 billion in 2010 to nearly $58 billion in 2016. Sales of humanized and fully human antibodies for autoimmune/inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis are forecast to experience the fastest sales growth.

This period of dynamic growth for humanized and fully human antibodies plus the continued rollout of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), also called immunoconjugates, is expected to result in stagnating sales of chimeric antibodies from 2011 through 2016.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This study will be of interest to those working in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and related life science, drug discovery, and diagnostic test manufacturing companies, as well as all those interested or actively working in drug research.

Both individuals looking for a comprehensive listing of mAbs in human clinical-stage development and individuals looking at how the mAb drug marketplace is expected to change (in terms of sales and technology) in the coming years will find this report extremely useful.

SCOPE OF REPORT

This report analyzes and assesses therapeutic applications of mAbs in human medicine. Covered in this report are mAbs exclusively, including the combination of mAbs when they are attached to a cytotoxic agent such as with ADCs.

Excluded from this report are diagnostic uses of mAbs (such as for imaging purposes) and therapeutic antibodies for veterinary use. Also excluded are research applications of mAbs.

The scope of the study is global. The "Overview" section provides a discussion of the importance and advantages of antibody-based products, valuation of antibody product sales, patent issues and differences in applicability of mAbs products versus polyclonal antibodies (pAbs), and other competing agents such as small molecule therapeutics.

The "Technology and Technical Issues" section discusses new directions in antibody research, the types of antibodies used as therapeutics, the challenges in antibody production, and other approaches—in particular transgenic sources—of antibody production.

The "Products" section provides a synopsis of more than 60 mAb drugs, including those currently marketed and those in late-stage development. Comparative product and sales analyses are provided for individual products. Tables include current and forecasted sales by individual product, sales by target and technology (for mAb-based drugs), as well as global market size and growth estimates for therapeutic mAbs.

The "Applications" section provides an overview of the leading indications for available and emerging antibody-based therapeutics. These include selected indications for autoimmune diseases (specifically rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease), cancer indications (specifically the most common solid tumor types, leukemias, and lymphomas) cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, ophthalmic indications, and respiratory diseases.

The "Industry Structure" section provides an overview of the antibody industry as well as a discussion of the pending huge impact of genomics and the emergence of biotechnology firms into the mainstream market.

The "Company Profiles" section emphasizes companies that lead the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in the research and development of antibody drugs and the innovative products that those companies have launched or have in development.

INFORMATION SOURCES

The information in this report was derived from the review of more than 200 biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies developing mAbs and the review of journal articles related to mAb therapeutics. Sources of information include PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), and company presentations and annual reports.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES . 1

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY 1

INTENDED AUDIENCE 2

SCOPE OF REPORT 2

INFORMATION SOURCES . 3

ANALYST CREDENTIALS 3

RELATED REPORTS . 3

BCC ON-LINE SERVICES . 4

DISCLAIMER . 4

CHAPTER TWO: SUMMARY 5

SUMMARY TABLE GLOBAL SALES OF THERAPEUTIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) 5

SUMMARY FIGURE GLOBAL SALES OF THERAPEUTIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, 2009-2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 6

CHAPTER THREE: OVERVIEW 7

DEFINITIONS 7

DEFINITIONS (CONTINUED) . 8

THE IMPORTANCE OF ANTIBODY DRUGS AND DIAGNOSTICS . 9

THE IMPORTANCE OF ANTIBODY … (CONTINUED) 10

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES AND PATENT LICENSING 11

THE HISTORY OF THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS . 11

TABLE 1 TIMELINE TO COMMERCIALIZATION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS . 11

ADVANTAGES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY DRUGS 12

WHY DO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS HAVE SO MANY APPLICATIONS COMPARED WITH POLYCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS? 13

VALUATION OF ANTIBODY PRODUCT SALES . 14

CHAPTER FOUR: TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNICAL ISSUES . 15

OVERVIEW . 15

OVERVIEW (CONTINUED) . 16

TABLE 2 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES VERSUS SMALL MOLECULE DRUGS . 17

TABLE 2 (CONTINUED) . 18

TABLE 3 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES VERSUS POLYCLONAL ANTIBODIES . 18

THE HAMA PROBLEM AND ITS RESOLUTION . 19

PHAGE DISPLAY AND POLYSOME DISPLAY 20

PHAGE DISPLAY AND POLYSOME … (CONTINUED) 21

DIRECTED EVOLUTION 22

ANTIBODY CLASSES 22

TABLE 4 ANTIBODY TYPES AND DESCRIPTIONS . 23

ANTIBODY FORMS IN PRODUCTS 23

TABLE 5 GLOBAL SALES OF THERAPEUTIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES BY ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY TYPE, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 24

TABLE 6 ANTIBODIES IN CLINICAL STAGE DEVELOPMENT BY

ANTIBODY FORM (NUMBER/%) 25

TABLE 7 ANTIBODIES IN CLINICAL STAGE DEVELOPMENT BY TECHNOLOGY FORM AND STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT 25

TABLE 8 ANTIBODIES IN CLINICAL STAGE DEVELOPMENT BY TARGET . 26

ABTIDES 26

ANTIBODY-DRUG CONJUGATES / IMMUNOCONJUGATES 26

ANTISERUMS . 27

BISPECIFIC ANTIBODIES 28

CAMOUFLAGED ANTIBODIES 28

CHIMERIC ANTIBODIES 29

HUMANIZED ANTIBODIES 29

Humanized Antibodies (Continued) . 30

FULLY HUMAN ANTIBODIES 31

PROGENITOR STEM CELLS . 32

SINGLE-CHAIN ANTIBODIES 32

SYNTHETIC ANTIBODIES 33

SOURCES OF MONCLONAL ANTIBODIES ON THE MARKET 34

TABLE 9 MARKETED MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS AND THEIR SOURCES 34

TABLE 9 (CONTINUED) . 35

TABLE 9 (CONTINUED) . 36

THE SPECIAL CASE OF ENBREL. 36

ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGIES IN DEVELOPMENT 37

AFFIBODIES . 37

DOMAIN ANTIBODIES 37

NANOBODIES . 38

TABLE 10 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES IN PHASE 3 DEVELOPMENT 39

TABLE 10 (CONTINUED) . 40

TABLE 11 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES IN PHASE 2 DEVELOPMENT 40

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 41

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 42

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 43

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 44

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 45

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) . 46

TABLE 11 (CONTINUED) 47

TABLE 12 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES IN PHASE 1 DEVELOPMENT 47

TABLE 12 (CONTINUED) 48

TABLE 12 (CONTINUED) . 49

TABLE 12 (CONTINUED) . 50

TABLE 12 (CONTINUED) . 51

TABLE 12 (CONTINUED) . 52

NEW DIRECTIONS IN ANTIBODY RESEARCH 53

THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSGENIC PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODY PRODUCTS 53

THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY FOR …(CONTINUED) 54

THE HIGH COST OF PRODUCING ANTIBODIES AND OTHER PROTEIN DRUGS . 55

THE GROWING CRISIS IN MEETING PRODUCTION DEMANDS FOR PROTEIN DRUGS 56

THE TRANSGENIC ADVANTAGE . 56

TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION METHODS 57

MICROBIAL FERMENTATION . 58

MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE 58

THE ENBREL SHORTAGE . 59

THE CRUNCH IN CAPACITY. 59

REASONS FOR THE NEED TO INCREASE PROTEIN DRUG PRODUCTION 60

GENOMICS AND GENE DISCOVERY DRIVE THE EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT OF PROTEIN DRUGS 61

PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODIES IN ANIMALS . 62

PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODIES … (CONTINUED) . 63

GOATS AS MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FACTORIES 64

PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODIES IN PLANTS 64

PLASTIDS 64

TARGETING AND COMPARTMENTALIZING 65

TRANSGENIC SEEDS FOR ANTIBODY STORAGE 65

CHAPTER FIVE: PRODUCTS 66

OVERVIEW . 66

MARKETED PRODUCTS 66

TABLE 13 GLOBAL SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, BY

PRODUCT THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 67

TABLE 14 U.S. SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, BY

PRODUCT THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 68

TABLE 15 REST OF WORLD SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, BY PRODUCT THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 69

GEMTUZUMAB OZOGAMICIN (MYLOTARG) 70

DACLIZUMAB (ZENAPAX) 71

Daclizumab (Zenapax) (Continued) 72

TABLE 16 DACLIZUMAB CHOICE STUDY RESULTS . 73

CATUMAXOMAB (REMOVAB) 74

TOCILIZUMAB (ACTEMRA, ROACTEMRA, RG1569) . 75

TRASTUZUMAB (HERCEPTIN, RG597) . 76

Trastuzumab (Herceptin, RG597) (Continued) 77

BEVACLIZUMAB (AVASTIN, RG435) . 78

Bevaclizumab (Avastin, RG435) (Continued) 79

Bevaclizumab (Avastin, RG435) (Continued) 80

CETUXIMAB (ERBITUX) . 81

Cetuximab (Erbitux) (Continued) . 82

PANITUMUMAB (VECTIBIX) 83

Panitumumab (Vectibix) (Continued) . 84

IBRITUMOMAB TIUXETAN (ZEVALIN) 85

Results of Trials . 86

Sales of Zevalin 87

ALEMTUZUMAB (LEMTRADA, CAMPATH, MABCAMPATH) 88

Alemtuzumab (… (Continued) 89

Alemtuzumab (… (Continued) 90

NATALIZUMAB (TYSABRI) . 91

TABLE 17 TYSABRI SENTINEL AND AFFIRM STUDY RESULTS 92

Natalizumab (Tysabri) (Continued) 93

TOSITUMOMAB-I (BEXXAR) 94

Tositumomab-I (Bexxar) (Continued) . 95

OFATUMUMAB (ARZERRA) 96

Ofatumumab (Arzerra) (Continued) . 97

RITUXIMAB (RITUXAN, MABTHERA, RG105) . 98

INFLIXIMAB (REMICADE) 99

Infliximab (Remicade) (Continued) . 100

DENOSUMAB (PROLIA, XGEVA) . 101

IPILIMUMAB (YERVOY, MDX-010) 102

ADALIMUMAB (HUMIRA) . 103

GOLIMUMAB (SIMPONI) 104

CANAKINUMAB (ILARIS, ACZ885) 105

ECULIZUMAB (SOLIRIS) . 106

PALIVIZUMAB (SYNAGIS) 107

ABCIXIMAB (REOPRO) 108

Abciximab (ReoPro) (Continued) . 109

Abciximab (ReoPro) (Continued) . 110

RANIBIZUMAB (LUCENTIS) . 111

Ranibizumab (Lucentis) (Continued) 112

MUROMONAB (ORTHOCLONE OKT3) 113

OMALIZUMAB (XOLAIR) . 113

USTEKINUMAB (STELARA, CNTO 1275) 114

Ustekinumab (Stelara, CNTO 1275) (Continued) 115

CERTOLIZUMAB PEGOL (CIMZIA) . 116

BASILIXIMAB (SIMULECT) 116

Basiliximab (Simulect) (Continued) 117

BELIMUMAB (BENLYSTA) . 118

NIMOTUZUMAB . 119

PRODUCTS IN DEVELOPMENT . 119

TANEZUMAB (RN624) 119

VEDOLIZUMAB (MLN0002). 120

LY2127399 121

OTELIXIZUMAB . 121

MEPOLIZUMAB (BOSATRIA) 122

TEPLIZUMAB (MGA031, HOKT3-GAMMA1) . 122

BAPINEUZUMAB (AAB-001) . 123

GANITUMAB (AMG 479) 124

OBINUTUZUMAB (AFUTUZUMAB, GA101, RG7159) 125

ZANOLIMUMAB (FORMERLY HUMAX-CD4) . 126

RESLIZUMAB (CINQUIL) 127

BLINATUMOMAB (MT103) 128

FARLETUZUMAB (MORAB-003) . 128

EPRATUZUMAB 129

GIRENTUXIMAB (RENCAREX) 129

INOTUZUMAB OZOGAMICIN (CMC-544) 130

BRIAKINUMAB (ABT-874) . 131

ELOTUZUMAB 132

SILTUXIMAB (CNTO 328) 133

TRASTUZUMAB EMTANSINE (T-DM1, RG3502) 133

INOLIMOMAB (LEUKOTAC) . 134

ITOLIZUMAB (T1H, ANTI-CD6) 134

NAPTUMOMAB ESTAFENATOX (ANYARA) . 135

NECITUMUMAB (IMC-11F8) . 135

PERTUZUMAB 136

RAMUCIRUMAB (IMC-1121B, LY3009806) 137

RAXIBACUMAB 138

MK-3415, MK-6072, AND MK-3415A . 138

MK-3415, MK-6072, and MK-3415A (Continued) 139

CHAPTER SIX: APPLICATIONS 140

OVERVIEW . 140

TABLE 18 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES ON THE MARKET, BY

INDICATION 2011 (NUMBER/%) 140

TABLE 19 GLOBAL SALES OF THERAPEUTIC MONOCLONAL

ANTIBODIES, BY APPLICATION, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 141

TABLE 20 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES IN CLINICAL STAGE DEVELOPMENT, BY INDICATION, 2011 (NUMBER/%) . 141

TABLE 20 (CONTINUED) . 142

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES 142

CROHN'S DISEASE 143

PSORIASIS . 144

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS . 145

TABLE 21 SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY DISEASES (NOT INCLUDING MS), THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 145

SOLID TUMORS 146

U.S. CANCER STATISTICS 146

TABLE 22 INCIDENCE, MORTALITY, AND SURVIVAL RATES FOR COMMON CANCERS IN THE U.S., 2011 . 147

TABLE 23 CANCER PREVALENCE RATES IN THE U.S., 2008 (IN THOUSANDS) . 148

BREAST CANCER . 149

COLORECTAL CANCER 149

HEAD AND NECK CANCER 149

KIDNEY CANCER . 149

LIVER CANCER 149

LUNG CANCER . 150

MALIGNANT MELANOMA 150

OSTEOSARCOMA . 151

OVARIAN CANCER 151

PANCREATIC CANCER . 152

PROSTATE CANCER 152

STOMACH CANCER . 153

ANTIBODY PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER . 153

TABLE 24 SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SOLID TUMORS, BY REGION, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 153

LYMPHOMAS AND LEUKEMIAS 153

NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA . 154

LEUKEMIAS 154

Leukemias (Continued) . 155

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 156

PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY 157

INFECTIOUS DISEASES 158

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION 159

HEPATITIS 160

RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS INFECTION 160

TABLE 25 SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, BY REGION, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 161

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS . 161

TABLE 26 SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, BY REGION, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 162

OPHTHALMIC DISEASES 162

MACULAR DEGENERATION 162

OTHER THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS . 163

TABLE 27 SALES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF OTHER DISEASES, BY REGION, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) . 163

CHAPTER SEVEN: INDUSTRY STRUCTURE . 164

OVERVIEW . 164

ORIGINATORS . 164

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPERS . 165

VENDORS . 166

MANUFACTURERS . 166

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS. 167

PRICING FORECASTS 168

THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT 168

THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT (CONTINUED) . 169

GENOMICS AND MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES: A MATCH FOR SUCCESS . 170

GENOMICS AND MONOCLONAL … (CONTINUED) . 171

GENOMICS AND MONOCLONAL … (CONTINUED) . 172

COMPANY SALES AND MARKET SHARE . 173

TABLE 28 SALES OF MARKETED ANTIBODIES BY

MANUFACTURER, THROUGH 2016 ($ MILLIONS) 174

TABLE 29 MANUFACTURERS OF ANTIBODIES BY MARKET SHARE, 2011 AND 2016 (%) 175

TABLE 30 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES IN CLINICAL STAGE DEVELOPMENT BY COMPANY . 176

COMPANY PROFILES 176

ABBOTT LABORATORIES . 176

ALEXION PHARMACEUTICALS 177

AMGEN 178

ASTRAZENECA . 179

AstraZeneca – U.S. Headquarters 179

BAYER AG . 180

Bayer (U.S. Location) 180

BIOGEN IDEC . 181

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB 182

BTG . 183

DAIICHI SANKYO . 183

ELAN 184

EMERGENT BIOSOLUTIONS . 185

EISAI 185

ELI LILLY 186

GENMAB 186

Genmab (U.S. Location) 187

GLAXOSMITHKLINE . 187

GlaxoSmithKline (U.S. Location) 187

HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES 188

JOHNSON & JOHNSON . 188

KALOBIOS PHARMACEUTICALS 189

MERCK KGAA (MERCK SERONO) . 190

MORPHOSYS . 191

NOVARTIS . 191

PFIZER . 192

ROCHE . 193

To order this report:Biopharmaceutical Industry: Antibody Drugs: Technologies and Global Markets

More Market Research Report

Check our Industry Analysis and Insights

Nicolas Bombourg
Reportlinker
Email: nicolasbombourg@reportlinker.com
US: (805)652-2626
Intl: +1 805-652-2626

SOURCE Reportlinker

Drug Ads Often Gloss Over Side Effects, Enlist Doctor Endorsements

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:12:32 +0000

Drug company advertising often downplays side effects. This misleading information can lead to patient injury.

May 23, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prescription drug advertisements have become ubiquitous in United States' media, including television and magazines. Unfortunately, these ads may be ultimately misleading about potential side effects, placing patients at risk.

How Drug Marketing Campaigns Portray Side Effects

Drug companies use several techniques to downplay the side effects of the potentially dangerous drugs they are advertising.

First, a drug company may enlist a celebrity to endorse its product. For example, the anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel is promoted by professional golfer Phil Mikelson. In these types of advertisements, the side effects of the drugs are disclosed in a quickly delivered voiceover toward the end of the commercial. Other drug advertisements, like those for Celebrex, place a lot of emphasis on the benefits of the drug while downplaying serious side effects like heart attack or stroke.

Another common technique is enlisting the endorsement of an actual physician, who may agree to recommend drugs in exchange for board membership, lectureship and even consulting fees.

Doctors' Drug Endorsements Affect Patient Care

When doctors endorse a drug for money or other personal benefits, however, the exchange can affect the type of care patients receive. An investigation by the New York Times found that a quarter of all doctors accept cash for their endorsement of prescription drugs and a whopping two-thirds accept other compensation, like meals or speaking engagements, for endorsements.

Unfortunately, this type of relationship between physicians and drug companies can affect the medical decisions of the endorsing physicians. Physicians who endorse a certain medication are more likely to prescribe those medications when an alternative treatment would be more medically appropriate. In some instances, the New York Times found that physicians in this situation were more apt to prescribe antipsychotic drugs to children, for whom the drugs are not approved.

Obama's Health Care Law to Provide More Transparency

Fortunately, there are provisions in the new health care bill which will make the relationships between physicians and drug companies more transparent to the public. The law requires drug companies which pay doctors for endorsements for any drug or medical device covered by Medicare or Medicaid to report the relationships to the government. The Obama administration estimates that the law will affect over one thousand drug companies.

When drug companies downplay serious side effects which could cause injury, it leaves them vulnerable to lawsuits claiming they were negligent in their duty to warn against potential side effects. It may also be possible for injured patients to sue if a product is found to be defective. If you have been injured by one of your prescription drugs and feel you did not receive a clear explanation of the drug's potent side effects, please consult an experienced personal injury attorney to explore your legal options.

Article provided by Thomas Q. Keefe, Jr., P.C.

Visit us at http://www.tqkeefe.com/

---

Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com

New PSA Recommendations from U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are a Disservice to Men

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:12:09 +0000

New PSA Recommendations from U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are a Disservice to Men

PR Newswire

"D" Grading ignores benefits of screening in men known to be at high risk

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Prostate Cancer Roundtable expressed deep disappointment today as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final recommendation statement against the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in the detection of prostate cancer.

"A 'D' grade from the USPSTF will discourage many healthcare providers from using PSA testing at all; will justify non-coverage of PSA testing by many payers; and will also discourage men and their doctors from even beginning conversations about individual risk or the need for the test," explained Scott Williams, Vice President of Men's Health Network.

This decision has been taken despite authoritative research by Andrew Vickers, Hans Lilja, and others, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and elsewhere, that shows that even a single PSA test administered between the ages of 44 to 50 can project risk for the future diagnosis of prostate cancer. (1-3)

Research by the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Modeling Network has also shown that as much as 70 percent of the drop in age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality since 1975 can be attributed to PSA screening. (4)

"The USPSTF continues to ignore the benefits of screening for men known to be at high risk, including African American men, men with a family history, veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and men with an above-average baseline PSA in their 40s," stated Thomas Farrington, President of the Prostate Health Education Network.

Currently Medicare and Medicaid and most insurance companies continue to cover PSA tests. And in 37 U.S. states there are mandates in place that require insurance companies to pay for the test. However, the "D" grade will likely lead many health insurance companies to stop paying for the test, thus cutting off access to many men.

"Men should still be encouraged to talk to their healthcare providers about whether PSA testing is right for them. PSA testing can help predict future diagnosis of prostate cancer and can also help men who have been diagnosed determine which treatment path, if any, might be right for them," stated Prostate Conditions Educational Council President Wendy Poage.

References: (1). Lilja H, Ulmert D, Bjork T, J Clin Oncol. 2007; 25 : 431- 436. (2). Lilja H, Cronin AM, Dahlin A, et al. Cancer. 2011; 117: 1210-1219. (3.) Orsted DD, Nordestgaard BG, Jensen GB, et al. Eur Urol. 2012; 61: 865-874. (4.) Etzioni R, Tsodikov A, Mariotto A, et al. Cancer Causes Control. 2008; 19: 175-181.

The above statement has been issued on behalf of and endorsed by the following Prostate Cancer Roundtable's member organizations.

Ed Randall's Fans for the Cure
Malecare Prostate Cancer Support
Men's Health Network
National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions
Prostate Cancer Foundation
Prostate Cancer International
Prostate Conditions Education Council
Prostate Health Education Network
The Prostate Net
Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network
Women Against Prostate Cancer
ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer

To learn more about the Prostate Cancer Roundtable, visit: www.prostatecancerroundtable.net

SOURCE Prostate Cancer Roundtable

Men's Health Network and Veterans Health Council Oppose Final USPSTF Recommendation Against Prostate Cancer Screening

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:46:21 +0000

Men's Health Network and Veterans Health Council Oppose Final USPSTF Recommendation Against Prostate Cancer Screening

PR Newswire

Deeply flawed process produces a dangerous and life-threatening recommendation

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Men's Health Network (MHN) and the Veterans Health Council are strongly opposing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) final recommendation against the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in the early detection of prostate cancer. The PSA test, used with a DRE (digital rectal exam), is the only method currently available for the early detection of prostate cancer.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100604/DC16079LOGO )

"Early detection saves lives," said MHN VP Scott Williams, "and this recommendation essentially eliminates access for patients and their healthcare providers to the only test available for early detection of prostate cancer."

The final recommendation, relying on an inadequate and deeply flawed decision-making process, downgrades PSA testing to "D", recommending against the use of PSA testing in healthy men that "do not have symptoms that are highly suspicious for prostate cancer." This in the face of strong evidence that use of the PSA test saves lives.

A "D" grade is defined as "moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit, or that the harms outweigh the benefits". This means that the USPSTF believes men should only be tested for prostate cancer using the PSA after they display symptoms of possible prostate cancer, meaning the cancer has spread and the prospects for a cure are remote.

There are repercussions beyond an individual's decision to be screened. The USPSTF is empowered by the Affordable Care Act to determine which screenings Americans receive. A "D" rating means Medicare, Medicaid and/or private insurers could choose not to cover PSA test for tens of thousands of men nationwide.

USPSTF placed heavy emphasis on the PLCO (Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian) study, whose prostate arm was critically flawed. Approximately 50% of the control (non-screened) group received PSA testing one or more times as part of their routine care, while 15% of the screening group were never screened. In addition, African-American men, a group at highest risk of developing prostate cancer, constituted only 4% of the study. The USPSTF also failed to consider past and present data available at CDC, NCI, NIH, VA, CMS, and other agencies

In stark contrast to PLCO, the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) has followed 182,000 men for 11 years. The latest data from ERSPC, released while the USPSTF was still considering the PSA, indicates a reduction in prostate cancer specific mortality of 29% at 11 years follow-up, a significant life-saving benefit. ERSPC is a much larger study than PLCO and compliance has been greater from the beginning of the study.

Also not considered is a study which found that Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange were more than 2-times as likely to develop prostate cancer and that when diagnosed the cancer was more aggressive.

"If allowed to stand, USPSTF clearly abrogates its responsibility for the health and well-being of America's Vietnam veterans," stated Thomas Berger, PhD, Executive Director, Veterans Health Council.

The complete Veteran's Health Council statement is found at:

http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/USPSTFVHCstatement052112.pdf

The USPSTF decision-making process shoulders the blame for this decision:

The decision is reached without consultation with other federal agencies, such as the National Cancer Institute, Veterans Administration, other NIH agencies, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – each of which can provide information and research that are critical to an informed recommendation.
Medical specialists (i.e. urologists, oncologists, etc.) are excluded from membership on the USPSTF, eliminating the experts who know most about an issue.
Patient organizations, with their vast patient resources and experience, are excluded from the process, allowed only to provide comments to a draft decision.

MHN pointed out these and other flaws in the decision-making process in an April 23, 2012 letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius, found at:
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/USPSTFMHNtoSecSebelius042312.pdf

For example, not consulted was CDC which has found that men with a family history are 2- to 3- times more likely to develop prostate cancer.
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/basic_info/risk_factors.htm

Also not consulted was NCI, whose recent modeling studies "suggest that between 45% - 70% of the mortality decline…can be attributed to that stage-shift induced by screening." (presentation at the 7th Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit, September 2011)

"The recommendation against PSA testing puts men's lives in jeopardy as they will be discouraged from getting screened for prostate cancer. This especially affects African-American men, men exposed to Agent Orange, and men with a family history, all of whom are at greatest risk of developing prostate cancer and dying from the disease. In the U.S. alone, 30,000 men die from prostate cancer annually, a staggering number. Early detection is key and PSA testing is the best available tool, reducing prostate cancer mortality by 40% since its inception," commented Ana Fadich, MPH, CHES, Director of Programs and Health Promotion at MHN.

MHN recognizes that a better test for the early detection of prostate cancer is desperately needed, however, the PSA is the best screening tool available today. Until a new test is found, the USPSTF should withdraw its current recommendation and initiate a new study that actively engages all relevant stakeholders, including federal agencies, professional organizations that advise patients and treat prostate cancer, and patient representatives.

About Men's Health Network
MHN is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities and patient navigation. For more information, please visit www.menshealthnetwork.org.

About the Veterans Health Council
The Veterans Health Council works to insure that veterans get the proper diagnosis based on the impact of their particular military service. For more information, please visit www.veteranshealth.org.

SOURCE Men's Health Network

AUA Disputes Panel's Recommendations On Prostate Cancer Screening

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:01:00 +0000

AUA Disputes Panel's Recommendations On Prostate Cancer Screening

Association urges men to speak with their physicians about their risk for prostate cancer

PR Newswire

ATLANTA, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on the use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The statement is attributed to AUA President Sushil S. Lacy, MD:

The American Urological Association (AUA) is outraged at the USPSTF's failure to amend its recommendations on prostate cancer testing to more adequately reflect the benefits of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It is inappropriate and irresponsible to issue a blanket statement against PSA testing, particularly for at-risk populations, such as African American men. Men who are in good health and have more than a 10-15 year life expectancy should have the choice to be tested and not discouraged from doing so.

There is strong evidence that PSA testing saves lives. The randomized trials used by the USPSTF do, in fact, show a benefit to patients. The PLCO Trial, imperfect by the pre-screening contamination of the control arm, nonetheless showed that, in a group of young men with no comorbidities, there was a significant reduction of prostate cancer death rates after a median follow-up of seven years (JCO 2011;29:355-361). Additionally, the Goteborg Trial also showed a substantial 44 percent relative risk reduction in prostate cancer mortality occurring in men 50-64 years of age after a median of 14 years. Importantly, the risk reduction occurred in a setting where many of the patients were not aggressively treated for prostate cancer, indicating that the harms of PSA-based screening can, in fact, be minimized by good clinical practice (Lancet Oncol 2010;11:725-732). Furthermore, we have seen a 40 percent reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality in the United States over the most recent 20 years of PSA-based screening. This has occurred without substantial change in how men with prostate cancer were treated (primarily with surgery and radiation therapy). Models have suggested that more than 50 percent of this reduction is due to early detection (Cancer Cases Control 2008;19:175-181). Additionally, updated data from the European Randomized Study for the Screening of Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) has demonstrated that there is a 21 percent risk reduction in prostate cancer related death associated with screening (up to 29 percent after accounting for non-compliance). The number of cancers that would need to be detected to prevent one death has now dropped to 37.

Rather than instruct primary care physicians to discourage men from having a PSA test, the Task Force should instead focus on how best to educate primary care physicians regarding targeted screening and how to counsel patients about their prostate cancer risk. The PSA test has allowed us to move beyond a time when men presented with high-grade, metastatic disease for which there were little or no treatment options other than palliative care. In its earliest stages, most prostate cancers cause no symptoms; to say that only men with symptoms of prostate cancer should be tested will potentially result in a return to such a time.

Disparaging the PSA test when newer tests and diagnostics are not yet widely available does a great disservice to American men.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 18,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

MEDIA CONTACTS: AUA: Wendy Waldsachs Isett
410-977-4770
wisett@AUAnet.org

SOURCE American Urological Association

Urologists Outraged over Government Panel's Recommendation to Stop Life-Saving Prostate Cancer Testing

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Urologists Outraged over Government Panel's Recommendation to Stop Life-Saving Prostate Cancer Testing

PR Newswire

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA), representing more than 1,800 urologists, today discredited recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to stop prostate cancer testing.

USPSTF's final recommendation, released today, instructs physicians to discourage asymptomatic men from having the PSA test. This comes despite overwhelming opposition from urologists, prostate cancer patients, and patient advocacy groups, all who have confirmed the importance of these life-saving measures.

"We are appalled at the USPSTF's recommendation that healthy men should no longer receive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests as part of routine cancer screening," said Dr. Deepak A. Kapoor, President of LUGPA and Chairman and CEO of Integrated Medical Professionals, PLLC. Kapoor added, "Failing to detect cancer early will create a public health catastrophe in 5-10 years."

The largest study on screening, the European Randomized Study for the Screening of Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) published its updated findings in the March issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This demonstrated a 21 percent survival advantage to PSA screening for all patients, and furthermore, for those with the longest follow-up (over 10 years) this increased to 38 percent. This is consistent with experience in the United States, where death rates from prostate cancer have declined by nearly 40 percent over the last two decades, although the incidence of the disease has been relatively stable.

Dr. Kapoor states, "USPSTF clearly 'cherry-picked' data to support what can only be viewed as a pre-conceived bias against screening. The task force did not include any physician who treats prostate cancer, and ignored credible studies and epidemiological data demonstrating a significant survival advantage to early detection…we are not detecting more cancer; we are detecting cancer earlier and saving lives."

The USPSTF's downgrade of prostate cancer screening to a "D" recommendation at this time is irresponsible and inexplicable. It even would deny screening to those at the greatest risk for prostate cancer— African-Americans and those with a family history of prostate cancer. These patients urgently need to be educated about their risks of developing cancer, and the role that screening could play in early diagnosis and treatment.

"The recommendation not only grossly misrepresents the current literature about screening, but makes a blanket statement about what's right for all men," said Kapoor. "Every man has a right to make his own decision about screening after discussion with his own doctor. We cannot allow an unaccountable government entity to deny patients access to tests that saves the lives of thousands of Americans every year."

LUGPA joins the American Urological Association (AUA) and the American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU) in support of PSA screening for well-informed men who wish to pursue early diagnosis for a disease that is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. The USPSTF's recommendations risk undoing 20 years of progress in patient education and puts the lives of tens of thousands of men at risk. All concerned citizens are encouraged to contact government representatives to demand the government not restrict access to this life-saving testing as a result of misguided recommendations.

Please visit LUGPA's website for additional information on PSA screening.

About LUGPA

LUGPA represents 95 large urology group practices in the United States, with more than 1,800 physicians who make up more than 20 percent of the nation's practicing urologists. LUGPA and its member practices are committed to best practices, research, data collection, and benchmarking to promote quality clinical outcomes. Visit http://lugpa.org/default.aspx for more information about LUGPA.

SOURCE Large Urology Group Practice Association

Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics Enter Into Research Collaboration Agreement

Mon, 21 May 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics Enter Into Research Collaboration Agreement

Myriad's Prolaris® Test to be Studied as Part of the Agreement

PR Newswire

SALT LAKE CITY, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics today announced they have signed a collaborative research agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to perform research and validation studies on transformative molecular diagnostic tests being developed by Myriad in an effort to improve the care and treatments for patients at Intermountain and around the world. This collaboration highlights the shared purpose of Myriad and Intermountain in improving outcomes and the quality of life for patients.

The first project under this collaboration, PRO 008, is designed to further expand the utility of the Prolaris test by analyzing biopsy samples of 200 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. This study will assess the ability of the Prolaris test to predict which men are at a heightened risk of biochemical recurrence and therefore should be given more aggressive therapy for their disease. The goal of this, and Myriad's other Prolaris studies underway in multiple centers in the United States and Europe, is to demonstrate the prognostic ability of the Prolaris test in assessing a patient's risk of biochemical recurrence of disease and death from disease.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Myriad to further research across a number of diseases in an effort to improve patient care," said Brent Wallace, MD, Intermountain's Chief Medical Officer. "We look forward to embarking on our prostate cancer collaboration with Myriad and hope the findings from this study will help define the clinical benefit of the Prolaris test. This will assist in helping men diagnosed with prostate cancer to understand the aggressiveness of their disease and make better informed decisions about appropriate treatment."

"Intermountain is committed to improving patient outcomes which is in perfect alignment with the core mission of Myriad," said Peter Meldrum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Myriad Genetics. "This research collaboration will have great potential to help patients by furthering research on molecular diagnostic tests which can assist healthcare providers to effectively guide treatment decisions and determine the risk of disease progression and recurrence."

About Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, serves the healthcare needs of Utah and southeastern Idaho residents. Its mission is to provide clinically excellent medical care at affordable rates in a healing environment. For more information visit intermountainhealthcare.org

About Myriad Genetics

Myriad Genetics, Inc., an internationally recognized leader in molecular diagnostics, is dedicated to making a difference in patient's lives through the discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's portfolio of molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with a commitment to improving an individual's decision making process for monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic directives to introduce new products, including companion diagnostics, as well as expanding internationally. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: www.myriad.com.

Myriad, the Myriad logo, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, Melaris, TheraGuide, Prezeon, OnDose, Panexia and Prolaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the designs, goals and anticipated outcomes of the research collaboration between the Company and Intermountain Healthcare; and the Company's strategic directives under the caption "About Myriad Genetics". These "forward-looking statements" are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that sales and profit margins of our existing molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services may decline or will not continue to increase at historical rates; the risk that we may be unable to expand into new markets outside of the United States; the risk that we may be unable to develop or achieve commercial success for additional molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services in a timely manner, or at all; the risk that we may not successfully develop new markets for our molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services, including our ability to successfully generate revenue outside the United States; the risk that licenses to the technology underlying our molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services and any future products are terminated or cannot be maintained on satisfactory terms; risks related to delays or other problems with manufacturing our products or operating our laboratory testing facilities; risks related to public concern over genetic testing in general or our tests in particular; risks related to regulatory requirements or enforcement in the United States and foreign countries and changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems; risks related to our ability to obtain new corporate collaborations and acquire new technologies or businesses on satisfactory terms, if at all; risks related to our ability to successfully integrate and derive benefits from any technologies or businesses that we acquire; the development of competing tests and services; the risk that we or our licensors may be unable to protect the proprietary technologies underlying our tests; the risk of patent-infringement and invalidity claims or challenges of our patents; risks of new, changing and competitive technologies and regulations in the United States and internationally; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Item 1A in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Myriad undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

SOURCE Myriad Genetics, Inc.; Intermountain Healthcare

Oncomine contributes to integrative genomic analysis of lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Oncomine contributes to integrative genomic analysis of lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer

PR Newswire

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A study by researchers from the University of Michigan, Yale School of Public Health, Brown University and Compendia Bioscience was published in Nature. The study is notable for its comprehensive genomic profiling of patients with pre-treated lethal metastatic disease, providing insights into mechanisms of resistance.

The study identified a diverse series of likely driving mutations and copy number alterations in both known and novel genes. Oncomine streamlined analysis of genome alterations and provided a platform for rapid validation across previously published studies.

"The Oncomine tool set was developed to mine the global collection of cancer genomic data - our most recent advances focusing on mutation and copy number analysis. It is always rewarding to see our platform contributing to scientific discovery," said Dr. Daniel Rhodes, CEO of Compendia Bioscience.

Integrated analysis of copy number and mutation data identified loss of CHD1, a chromatin-modifying enzyme, as a key genetic event in ETS-negative prostate cancer. With Oncomine, the team was able to rapidly validate this observation across 13 independent, previously published patient cohorts.

"Oncomine continues to be my go-to reference database to analyze and validate cancer genomic findings," said Dr. Scott Tomlins, senior author of the study. "The latest advances in mutation and copy number analysis are quite powerful and the ability to quickly and easily compare multiple data sets is unmatched."

About Compendia Bioscience, Inc.
Compendia Bioscience is dedicated to curing cancers through the application of genomic data by providing researchers with the data and analysis tools necessary to validate biomarker and gene target discoveries, better understand mechanisms of disease, and optimize clinical outcomes. Visit www.compendiabio.com for more information.

About Oncomine™
Oncomine combines a rapidly growing compendium of 62,000+ expertly curated cancer genomic profiles with a sophisticated analysis engine and a powerful web application for data mining and visualization. Oncomine facilitates target discovery and validation and supports the prioritization of tumor populations for drug development. Visit www.oncomine.com for more information.

SOURCE Compendia Bioscience, Inc.

LUNGevity Breathe Deep PSAs to Air During Indianapolis 500 Festivities, Race

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:41:42 +0000

LUNGevity Breathe Deep PSAs to Air During Indianapolis 500 Festivities, Race

PR Newswire

Nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit asks viewers to help stop lung cancer now

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit, is pleased to announce its Public Service Announcements will play on the JumboTron during the May 25-27, 2012 Indy 500 festivities and race, in conjunction with May's designation as Lung Cancer Hope Month. The PSAs will promote awareness of the need for lung cancer research, inviting all Indianapolis Motor Speedway attendees to join in LUNGevity Breathe Deep events to raise awareness and funds for earlier detection and more effective treatments of lung cancer. LUNGevity's 60-second version (http://youtu.be/bEMl9JWw4mA) and a 30-second version PSAs (http://youtu.be/Si5b5jM7Cww) will both be featured.

The Breathe Deep walks and runs are LUNGevity's signature events that occur in dozens of communities nationwide. Breathe Deep events were launched by the Foundation to raise public awareness and critical funds needed for lung cancer research. One in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime. The disease kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer and more than three times as many men as prostate cancer. About 55% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers. Compared to other cancers, the disease receives relatively little government research funding.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to reach over 1.5 million viewers with our PSAs," said LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Stern Ferris. "The PSAs capture the energy and spirit of those participating in Breathe Deep events, and we hope they inspire Indy 500 fans to take action, join us, and start their own events. LUNGevity is committed to finding early diagnoses and more effective treatments for lung cancer."

LUNGevity is the nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit. It has the largest grants award program for lung cancer research among lung cancer nonprofit organizations in the United States. In 2011 alone, LUNGevity awarded $2 million to fund nine of the most promising lung cancer research proposals in the areas of early detection and targeted therapeutics. In addition to funding research, the Foundation has a robust national grassroots network, with events happening across the country. The organization also has the largest online support community for lung cancer patients and their loved ones.

The Foundation created Lung Cancer Hope Month, in May, to recognize the hope for better treatments and earlier diagnoses for lung cancer, improving lung cancer survival rates and quality of life for lung cancer patients and their loved ones. During the month, LUNGevity has hosted a number of events to build awareness of the lung cancer community and raise funds for critical lifesaving research. LUNGevity's presence at the Indy 500 will conclude an important month of community engagement for the organization.

To schedule an interview with LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Stern Ferris, contact Victoria Shapiro at (202) 414-0774 or vshapiro@susandavis.com

About LUNGevity Foundation

The mission of LUNGevity Foundation is to have a meaningful impact on improving lung cancer survival rates, ensure a higher quality of life for lung cancer patients, and provide a community for those impacted by lung cancer.

Through the support of critical research into the early detection and successful treatment of lung cancer, as well as providing information, resources and a community to patients and caregivers, LUNGevity is creating and sharing hope for cures, treatments and enhanced quality of life for lung cancer patients.

LUNGevity seeks to inspire the nation to commit to ending lung cancer.

For more information, please visit www.lungevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

1 in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, regardless of gender or ethnicity
Lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer and more than three times as many men as prostate cancer
About 55 percent of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
Only 16 percent of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves to 52 percent

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation

Caris Target Now™ Data to be Showcased at ASCO 2012

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Caris Target Now™ Data to be Showcased at ASCO 2012

- Evidence-Based Molecular Profiling Service to be Featured in Eight Separate Data Presentations -

PR Newswire

IRVING, Texas, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through molecular profiling and blood-based diagnostic services, today announced that eight data presentations on Caris Target Now™, the foremost evidence-based molecular profiling service, will take place next month at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Ill.

One of the most widely used and innovative theranostic (i.e., therapeutic and diagnostic) tools available to oncologists, Caris Target Now is a service that interrogates a patient's tumor in all phases of the biologic process. Through analysis with multiple, highly integrated technology platforms, Caris Target Now provides information that is potentially vital for individualizing therapeutic regimens for cancer patients. By utilizing the latest molecular profiling technologies to determine the biomarkers unique to a patient's tumor, and by performing an extensive review of clinical literature correlating biomarkers to drug response, Caris Target Now can help illuminate the potential benefit (or lack thereof) of specific agents, and may reveal appropriate treatments not previously considered.

"As more is learned about the roles of various oncogenes, hormones, and proteins in the growth and proliferation of specific tumor types, it becomes increasingly important to individualize anticancer therapy based on the genetic profile of a patient's tumor," said Sandeep Reddy, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "Consequently, tumor-specific genomic sequencing and analysis is quickly becoming the standard of care in oncology, rather than a last-resort option for when all other alternatives have been exhausted. The 2012 ASCO annual meeting therefore marks an important moment in molecular profiling, as eight separate presentations will add to the growing body of data supporting the use of Caris Target Now as a tool to help oncologists make evidence-based decisions for their patients."

The ASCO meeting will feature the following Caris Target Now data presentations:

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Abstract 1040, Poster Board #19H: Gargi D. Basu, Anatole Ghazalpour, David Arguello, et al. Frequency of TLE3 over-expression in breast carcinoma subtypes including a large cohort of triple negative patients. McCormick Place S Hall A2, General Poster Session, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Abstract 5523, Poster Board #13: Rebecca Feldman, Ariane Kemkes, Joanne Xiu, et al. Differences in biomarker expression in HNSCC according to p53 status. McCormick Place S102, Poster Discussion Session – Head and Neck Cancer, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (discussion: McCormick Place S100a, 12:00 PM –1:00 PM).

Monday, June 4, 2012

Abstract 4013, Poster Board #5: Daniel Von Hoff , Ramesh Ramanathan, Doug Evans, et al. Actionable targets in pancreatic cancer detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), microarray (MA) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and mutational analysis. McCormick Place E450a, Poster Discussion Session – Gastrointestinal (Noncolorectal) Cancer, 1:15 PM – 5:15 PM (discussion: McCormick Place E Hall D1, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM).
Abstract 10630, Poster Board #53G: Zoran Gatalica, Kathleen D Danenberg, Matthew Jerome McGinniss, et al. Molecular profiling of uveal melanoma patients. McCormick Place S Hall A2, General Poster Session, 1:15 PM – 5:15 PM.

E-publications on www.jco.org

Abstract e15209: Brian Wright, Matthew J. McGinniss, Anatole Ghazalpour, et al. Therapeutic target expression in advanced prostate cancer patients submitted for comprehensive molecular profiling.
Abstract e21152: Sheri Sanders, Wendy Schroeder, Alan Wright, Jeff Field. The Caris Registry: Building a biomarker-focused database to advance patient care.
Abstract e13571: Erika Fong, Raheela Ashfaq, Richard Blevins, Gargi D Basu, Gilbert Peterson. Differential expression of biomarkers in gastrointestinal versus pulmonary carcinoid tumors.
Abstract e20507: Wenhsiang Wen, Sting Chen, Anatole Ghazalpour, Brian Rhees, Matthew J. McGinniss, Zoran Gatalica. Theranostic profiling of Ewing sarcoma (ES) and desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT).

"The data to be presented at ASCO underscore how biomarkers can clear up much of the ambiguity oncologists face when making treatment decisions," commented Tom Spalding, group head of oncology at Caris Life Sciences. "By combining state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic and genomic sequencing technologies with a rigorous review of more than 100,000 published manuscripts, we believe Caris Target Now helps to expedite the evolution and accessibility of personalized medicine to cancer patients and their physicians."

About Caris Life Sciences

Caris Life Sciences is a leading biosciences company focused on developing and delivering innovative molecular diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic services. The company's evidence-based molecular profiling service, Caris Target Now™, matches molecular data generated from a patient's tumor with biomarker/drug associations derived from the world's leading clinical cancer literature. Caris Target Now uses the most advanced and clinically relevant technologies to provide physicians with information to aid in the selection of personalized cancer treatments more likely to work for each patient. Caris is also developing a series of blood tests based on the company's proprietary Carisome™ platform — a proprietary, blood-based testing technology for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. Through the precise and personalized information provided by technologies like Caris Target Now and Carisome, the company believes that the quality of healthcare can be dramatically improved, while also significantly reducing costs. Headquartered in the Dallas metroplex, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the United States, Europe, and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.carislifesciences.com or www.caristargetnow.com.

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences

U.S. House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee And Appropriations Committee Provide Unprecedented Endorsement For The Development Of Reliable Diagnostic Tools For Prostate Cancer

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:15:00 +0000

U.S. House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee And Appropriations Committee Provide Unprecedented Endorsement For The Development Of Reliable Diagnostic Tools For Prostate Cancer

PR Newswire

Historic Victory in U.S. Congress is Scored as Legislation Includes Support for Research Funding to Advance Prostate Imaging Technologies

BOSTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boston-based AdMeTech Foundation announces today an historic victory in the U.S. Congress for its public awareness and advocacy campaign "Where is Our Manogram?" Both the House Armed Services Committee and House Appropriations Committee showed support for this campaign through legislative language aimed at increasing the prioritization of prostate imaging research within the Department of Defense medical research programs.

The House Armed Services Committee Report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013 (H.R. 4310) recognized that "in spite of the magnitude of the prostate cancer epidemic in the military and civilian populations, men do not have reliable diagnostic tools for guiding early detection and treatment which is critical for saving lives, improving quality of life and reducing health care costs." The House approved H.R. 4310 on Friday by a 299-120 margin, sending the measure to the Senate. Echoing the historic decision by the Armed Services Committee, the House Appropriations Committee in its own Report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2013 DOD Appropriations bill, encouraged the Secretary of Defense "to fund research for the advancement of prostate imaging technologies" by the peer-review-based Prostate Cancer Research Program (within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program).

House Republicans and Democrats stood together to support improved prostate cancer diagnosis, and requested this legislative language on behalf of the AdMeTech Foundation-led campaign and its many stakeholders from around the nation. Among champions of either the Armed Services Committee or Appropriations Committee legislation were Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Todd Akin (R-MO), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Dan Burton (R-IN), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Steve Lynch (D-MA), Mike Capuano (D-MA), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Del. Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), and Ed Towns (D-NY).

"AdMeTech is pleased to spearhead this effort, and is grateful to the many members of the U.S. House of Representatives, House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees for this unprecedented response," stated AdMeTech's President, Dr. Faina Shtern. "The prostate cancer crisis is a direct result of unreliable diagnostic tools. The extent of unnecessary and failed medical procedures is staggering. An American man dies every 16 minutes. With the increased national investment in research, improved diagnostic tools will become available to men within three to five years," she added.

Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, State Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, as well as key legislators, and leaders of medicine and advocacy will address AdMeTech's Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at the Massachusetts State House on June 28. This annual event is creating a Massachusetts model of national leadership in recognizing the prostate cancer crisis and the need to improve diagnostic tools as a public health priority.

Prostate cancer – striking one in six men – is the most common major cancer in the United States. African American men have 60% higher incidence and 250% higher mortality. Prostate cancer has become more common than even breast cancer. However, public awareness and government investment in research are lagging behind, and men do not have accurate diagnostics akin to life-saving mammography. While curable when detected early, prostate cancer is the second most lethal cancer in men.

ABOUT AdMeTech Foundation:
AdMeTech is a nonprofit organization providing international leadership in the design and implementation of groundbreaking programs in research, education, awareness and advocacy dedicated to the advancement of diagnostic tools for early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. AdMeTech established the public awareness campaign "Where is Our Manogram?" in 2005. AdMeTech has been hosting an Annual Massachusetts State House Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, with recognition from the Governor, Massachusetts General Court and Boston City Council since 2009.

SOURCE AdMeTech Foundation