Singulair and suicide and newer drugs for CML

[Guest guest]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators are probing a possible connection

between Merck & Co Inc's Singulair asthma drug (montelukast) and suicidality in

adults and children, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. The FDA

said it is reviewing the issue after receiving reports of mood and behavior

changes, suicidal thinking and suicide in patients who took the drug.

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/news/?id=reut-20080327rglt007

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SGX393: This selective, orally-bioavailable BCR-ABL inhibitor is

currently in IND enabling studies and, pending successful completion,

an IND submission is planned during the second quarter of 2008. SGX393

is a potent inhibitor of the T315I mutant (as well as other resistant

mutants and wild-type BCR-ABL) and is likely most applicable to

relapsed/refractory chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

-- The research activities conducted under the Company's collaboration

with Novartis have resulted in the identification of a number of

promising BCR-ABL inhibitors targeting the front-line CML population.

The collaborative research phase is due to end in late March 2008 in

accordance with the agreement and, thereafter, Novartis is responsible

for further development of drug candidates identified under the

collaboration. At this time, an IND for a drug candidate under the

collaboration is not anticipated in 2008.

-- In addition to the inhibitors targeting the front-line CML population,

the Company is currently pursuing a portfolio of drug discovery targets

which have been implicated in various human cancers.

http://www.examiner.com/p-129737~SGX_Pharmaceuticals_Announces_Fourth_Quarter_an\

d_Full_Year_Financial_Results.html

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The second-generation drugs Sprycel and Tasigna have been developed as largely

successful treatments for Gleevec-resistant patients. However, one mutation,

termed T315I, is completely resistant to all three clinical CML drugs and is a

frequent cause of relapse. Now, however, a new drug candidate, SGX393, has been

found to inhibit most resistant mutations, including T315I, both in mouse models

and in patient cells in laboratory studies. SGX393 was identified by SGX

Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on cancer therapeutics.

The OHSU Cancer Institute researchers took this a step further. “Because none

of the drugs controlled all of the known mutations, we extended our study to

look at using combinations of the drugs,” said Eide, research

technician, hematology/medical oncology, OHSU School of Medicine. “Remarkably,

we found that the combination of SGX393 with either Sprycel or Tasigna

completely suppressed resistant growth. Our findings raise the exciting

possibility that inhibitor ‘cocktails’ may be sufficient to completely pre-empt

drug resistance in CML,” Eide said.

http://www.examiner.com/p-129737~SGX_Pharmaceuticals_Announces_Fourth_Quarter_an\

d_Full_Year_Financial_Results.html

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Open Clinical trials:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00451035?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=7

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00573378?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=9

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568945_print

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00464113?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=12

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00452933?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=15

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00462943?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=25

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00101088?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=28

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00335868?recr=Open & cond=%22Leukemia%2C+Mye\

logenous%2C+Chronic%2C+BCR-ABL+Positive%22 & rank=32

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=83299

This should keep you buy for a while. LOL.

Blessings,

Lottie