Funding for new research to improve leukaemia treatment by investigating how cancer cells use hiding places in the body to avoid chemotherapy drugs.

On 17 January 2013, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a conditional marketing authorisation for the medicinal product Bosulif 100 mg and 500 mg film-coated tablets intended for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML). Bosulif was designated as an orphan medicinal product on 4 August 2010.

Evaluation of the Impact of Switching CML Patients Treated with a First-line Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor to Ponatinib

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2013-- ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) and Newcastle University, U.K., on behalf of the U.K. National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) CML Working Group, today announced an agreement to collaborate on a multicenter, randomized Phase 3 trial, named SPIRIT 3, to assess the impact of switching patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) being treated with a first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor, upon suboptimal response or treatment failure, to ponatinib. The NCRI expects to begin enrollment in the trial of 1,000 patients at approximately 172 clinical research sites in the U.K. in the second quarter of 2013.

Paper:3782 'Change in Chronic Low-Grade Non-hematologic Adverse Events (AEs) and Quality of Life (QoL) in Adult Patients (pts) with Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive (Ph+) Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Chronic Phase (CML-CP) Switched From Imatinib (IM) to Nilotinib (NIL)'

Jorge E. Cortes, MD1, Jeffrey H. Lipton, MD, PhD2, Carole B. Miller, MD3*, Sikander Ailawadhi, MD4, Luke Akard, MD5, Javier Pinilla-Ibarz, MD, PhD6*, Felice P. Lin, PharmD7*, Solveig G. Ericson, MD, PhD7 and Michael J. Mauro, MD8

Winning the battle against leukaemia: positive early results in clinical trial for DNA vaccine: News Release from University of Southampton.

There are a number of approaches for selective targeting of leukemic stem cells (LSCs). These include targeting stem-cell properties, such as self-renewal, inducing cycling of quiescent LSCs to sensitize them to conventional agents, employing or inducing immune-based mechanisms, and targeting tumor-specific physiology. Agents such as parthenolide inhibit the ability of leukemic stem cells to respond to oxidative stress and make leukemic stem cells and bulk leukemic cells susceptible to cell death, while normal stem cells remain relatively unharmed by these agents. The major mechanism of action of these small molecules appears to revolve around the aberrant glutathione metabolism pathway found in leukemic cells.

FDA approves Iclusig to treat two rare types of leukemia
Drug approved 3 months ahead of schedule

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Iclusig (ponatinib) to treat adults with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL), two rare blood and bone marrow diseases.

The researchers report their findings December 9 in a plenary scientific session at the 54th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.

“This is another tool to fight this disease, but it’s the tool we’ve been waiting for,” said Brian Druker, M.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

Paper46810

3743 Long-Term Anti-Leukemic Activity of Ponatinib in Patients with Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Leukemia: Updated Results from an Ongoing Phase 1 Study

Michael W Deininger, MD, PhD1,2, Jorge E. Cortes, MD3, Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD4*, Neil Shah, MD, PhD5, Dale Bixby, MD, PhD6*, Michael J. Mauro, MD7, Ian W. Flinn, MD, PhD8, Thomas O'Hare, PhD1,9, Simin Hu, PhD10*, David J. Dorer10*, Victor M. Rivera, PhD10*, Tim Clackson, PhD10, Christopher D. Turner, MD, FAAP10, Frank G Haluska, MD, PhD10, Brian J. Druker7 and Moshe Talpaz, MD6