Are you finished with surgery or chemotherapy for early stage colon cancer?

Would you like a chance to see if a new experimental treatment can reduce your risk of

• A new polyp in your colon?
• Colon cancer spreading beyond your colon?
• A new colon cancer?

Researchers at the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) would like to talk to you about a clinical trial exploring whether a statin drug can reduce the risk of new polyps, colon cancer recurrence, or a new primary colon cancer.

In the P-5 clinical trial stage I and II colon cancer patients will be randomly assigned to take either rosuvastatin (Crestor®) or an inert placebo for five years. Read the rest of this entry »

The recall of Jantoven®  warfarin 3 mg tablets issued on February 16th has been expanded to include more dosages and additional medicines.

Jantoven and other medications that were packaged on the same Upsher-Smith Laboratories packaging line between May and November of 2010 are all being recalled as a precaution after 10 mg Jantoven tablets were found in a bottle labeled 3 mg.

Since warfarin is used to prevent blood clots in many people with cancer, it is critical that you check your medicine to be sure that it isn’t part of the  Upsher-Smith recall.

A complete description of the recalled pills is available on the FDA website including the tablet color and dose.  All recalled Jantoven tablets are scored and imprinted with WFR and the number 832. Read the rest of this entry »

If you take warfarin to prevent blood clots, check your supply to be sure it is safe.

A mixup in dosages has prompted a recall of Jantoven® Warfarin.  A single bottle was found to contain 10 mg pills, rather than the 3 mg tablets on the label.

Upsher-Smith Laboratories is voluntarily recalling one lot  (lot #284081) of Jantoven® Warfarin Sodium, 3 mg, to protect patients from getting an overdose.

The pills are very different:  The 3 mg tablets are tan and labeled with a 3 below the line, while the 10 mg ones are white with a 10 below the line.  Both have the number 832 on the reverse side.

Anticoagulation therapy needs careful control.  An overdose from taking 10 milligrams of the medicine, rather than the expected 3, could lead to life-threatening bleeding.

If you think that your medication might be mislabeled, call your doctor right away.  Don’t stop taking warfarin without talking to the doctor, but don’t risk taking the wrong dose.

Consumers and pharmacists can call the Upsher-Smith medical information line at 1-888-650-3789 for more information and to access product details, Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CST).

Israeli and American researchers reported this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on a new study suggesting that postmenopausal women taking alendronate (Fosamax) were less likely to develop colorectal cancer.

The results are “intriguing,” said Eric Jacobs, the American Cancer Society’s Strategic Director of Pharmacoepidemiology in Reuters Health. However, Jacobs cautioned, a recent large United Kingdom study showed no link between bisphosphonates and colon cancer, but a higher risk of esophageal (throat) cancer. Bone-density drugs are taken by millions of people for osteoporosis and there have been rare but severe side effects including jaw-bone deterioration. Effects of long-term use are not yet known.

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A paper presented at the recent 2011 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium conference reported important evidence that, for colorectal cancer patients getting chemotherapy after surgery, the sooner the better.

For people diagnosed with stage III colon cancer, stage II rectal cancer, or stage II colon cancer showing certain high-risk features, researchers found that each four-week delay in starting chemotherapy after surgery was associated with a 12% lower rate of survival five years later.

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