Fight Colorectal Cancer

The counterfeit drug trade has reached global proportions, and solving the problem needs a global approach.

So says an editorial in this week’s The Lancet.

While the Avastin announcement last week raised lots of concern and media attention, the issue of counterfeit drugs isn’t new. In 2009, the European Union seized 34 million fake pills in just two months, including antibiotics, cancer drugs, and sildenafil (Viagra). Counterfeit medicines are a problem for both low and high income countries and can seriously hurt patients.

In January the FDA warned healthcare providers not to buy injectable cancer medications from “direct-to-clinic” promotions or non-verified sources. Such drugs, says the FDA, put patients at risk. Read the rest of this entry »

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced yesterday during a teleconference that the FDA has arranged to meet critical needs for methotrexate and Doxil® (doxorubicin).

FDA has approved temporarily importing Lipodox, which has the same active ingredient — doxorubicin — and the same concentration as Doxil. There should be enough to meet needs for Doxil treatment.  FDA has inspected and approved the foreign plants that manufacture Lipodox.

APP Pharmaceuticals and Hospira both have ramped up production of methotrexate. Together they expect to be able to ship the drug immediately and have enough to meet future needs.  Methotrexate is especially needed by children with leukemia where it can produce remissions rapidly and cure most children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Unfortunately, fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin are still in shortage. Read the rest of this entry »

Would you like to know what top colon cancer experts recommend for diagnosing, treating, and following up colon cancer?

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has just published NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Colon Cancer in an online version.

It’s simple to read. Just turn the pages like a book.

You can also download a PDF copy with an easy to use, clickable table of contents.

There is also more patient-focused information on a NCCN.com, a website for patients, caregivers, and families.

The Guidelines for Patients are based on NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.  Updated frequently, the NCCN Guidelines are widely used by doctors to help them with making treatment decisions based on the latest evidence. Panels of oncologists, other health professionals, and advocates meet regularly to review new research and revise the guidelines to reflect it. Read the rest of this entry »

Knowing what the signs of colorectal cancer are and talking to your doctor about them – no matter what your age – is one of the key messages that Fight Colorectal Cancer President Carlea Bauman conveyed in her recent interview with Comcast Newsmakers.

In the weeks leading up to March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Washington, DC, Comcast station is broadcasting this piece to make people aware of the disease, as well as the work that Fight Colorectal Cancer is doing locally and around the country.

Comcast Newsmakers is a unique news program that provides community leaders with a platform to discuss issues and ideas important to the communities they serve allowing them to better connect with their constituents and the community at large. Fight Colorectal Cancer thanks the station for airing this vital public service announcement.

The Food and Drug Adminstration and Genentech have reported that counterfeit Avastin is being distributed in the United States. The counterfeit medicine does not contain
bevacizumab, Avastin’s active ingredient.

The packaging is different from genuine Avastin marketed here by Genentech. It includes a Roche logo which isn’t on the real drug, along with different codes.

Avastin is not in shortage now, and there are adequate supplies to meet the need.

Patients being treated with Avastin are urged to let their doctors know immediately if they have unusual symptoms. Read the rest of this entry »