Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Bayer HealthCare And Regeneron Announce VEGF Trap-Eye Achieved Durable Improvement In Vision Over 52 Weeks In A Phase 2
In this double-masked, prospective, randomized, multi-center Phase 2 trial, 157 patients were randomized to five dosage groups and treated with VEGF Trap-Eye in one eye. Two groups initially received monthly doses of 0.5 or 2.0 milligrams (mg) of VEGF Trap-Eye (at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12) and three groups received quarterly doses of 0.5, 2.0, or 4.0 mg of VEGF Trap-Eye (at baseline and week 12). Following the initial 12-week fixed-dosing phase angle of the trial, patients continued to receive therapy at the same zen on a PRN dosing schedule based upon the physician judgement of the need for re-treatment in accordance with pre-specified criteria. Patients were monitored for safety, retinal thickness, and visual sharp-sightedness. These data represent the final annual analysis from the 52-week study.
Patients receiving four monthly doses of VEGF Trap-Eye, either 2.0 or 0.5 mg, for 12 weeks followed by PRN dosing thereafter, achieved mean improvements in visual acuity versus baseline of 9.0 letters (p
For all dosage cohorts combined, there was a 5.3 mean letter gather in visual acuity versus baseline at the calendar week 52 evaluation visit (p
VEGF Trap-Eye was generally well tolerated and there were no drug-related serious adverse events. There was i reported case of culture-negative endophthalmitis/uveitis in the work eye and one arterial thrombotic consequence, neither of which was deemed to be drug-related. The well-nigh common adverse events were those typically associated with intravitreal injections.
"The 52-week results underline that VEGF Trap-Eye has the potential to significantly
reduce retinal heaviness and meliorate vision," aforementioned Dr. Kemal Malik, fellow member of the Bayer HealthCare Executive Committee responsible for product development. "The further development of this compound is important for millions of people worldwide wHO suffer from this devastating ocular disease."
"Based upon retinene physicians' feedback, there remains a significant unmet medical need for a intervention for wet AMD that can faithfully improve ocular acuity over time without the need for monthly intravitreal injections," said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., President of Regeneron Research Laboratories. "We are excited about these study findings and the potential for VEGF Trap-Eye to fulfil this demand pending the results of our on-going Phase 3 clinical studies."
About the Phase 3 Program in Wet AMD
Regeneron and Bayer HealthCare initiated a Phase 3 global development program for VEGF Trap-Eye in wet AMD in August 2007. In two Phase 3 trials VIEW 1 and VIEW 2 (VEGF Trap-Eye: Investigation of Efficacy and Safety in Wet age related macular degeneration), the companies are evaluating VEGF Trap-Eye dosed 0.5 mg every 4 weeks, 2 mg every 4 weeks, or 2 mg every 8 weeks (following three monthly doses) in direct comparison with ranibizumab (Lucentis�, a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.) administered 0.5 mg every four-spot weeks according to its U.S. label during the first year of the studies. PRN dosing will be evaluated during the second year of each study. The VIEW1 cogitation (http://www.regeneron.com/vegftrap_eye.html) is currently enrolling patients in the United States and Canada and the VIEW2 study (hypertext transfer protocol://www.view2study.com) is currently enrolling patients in Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Latin America. The companies ar collaborating on the worldwide development of VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of wet AMD, diabetic centre diseases, and other eye diseases and disorders. Bayer HealthCare volition market VEGF Trap-Eye external the United States, where the companies will share equally in profits from any future sales of VEGF Trap-Eye. Regeneron maintains exclusive rights to VEGF Trap-Eye in the United States.
About VEGF Trap-Eye
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a naturally occurring protein in the body whose normal role is to initiation formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to support the growth of the body's tissues and organs. It has also been associated with the abnormal growth and fragility of new blood vessels in the oculus, which lead to the development of wet AMD. The VEGF Trap-Eye is a fully human, soluble VEGF receptor fusion protein that binds all forms of VEGF-A along with the related Placental Growth Factor (PlGF). VEGF Trap-Eye is a specific and highly potent blocker of these growth factors. Blockade of VEGF, which tin can prevent abnormal blood vessel formation and vascular leak, has proved beneficial in the treatment of stiff AMD.
About Wet AMD
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a prima cause of acquired blindness. Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either dry (nonexudative) or wet (exudative). In wet AMD, new roue vessels develop beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This escape causes disruption and disfunction of the retina creating blind muscae volitantes in central vision, and it can account for blindness in wet AMD patients. Wet AMD is the ahead cause of blindness for people over the eld of 65 in the U.S. and Europe.
About Bayer
The Bayer Group is a globular enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovational companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the diagnose Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to find and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more entropy at http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.
About Bayer Schering Pharma
Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide in the lead specialty pharmaceutic company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Specialty Medicine and Women's Healthcare. With innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas, Bayer Schering Pharma aims to make a donation to medical progress and strives to improve the quality of life. Find more selective information at http://www.bayerscheringpharma.de.
Forward looking statements
This release crataegus laevigata contain advanced statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or operation of the company and the estimates n here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer web site at world Wide Web.bayer.com. The troupe assumes no liability any to update these innovative statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
View drug information on Lucentis.
More info
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Mp3 music: Rod Piazza
Artist: Rod Piazza: mp3 download Genre(s): Blues R&B: Soul Rod Piazza's discography: Thrill Ville Year: 2007 Tracks: 14 For the Chosen Who Year: 2005 Tracks: 12 Vintage Live: 1975 Year: 1998 Tracks: 10 Tough And Tender Year: 1997 Tracks: 1 A California-based megrims bandleader, harp player, and isaac Merrit Singer, Rod Piazza's stratospheric mouth harp wailings owe a heavy debt to both Little Walter and George "Mouth harp" Smith. Piazza began his professional career as a member of the Dirty Blues Band in the mid-'60s. The Dirty Blues Band recorded two albums for ABC/Bluesway -- an eponymic debut in 1967 and 1968's Stone Dirty. Piazza left field the |
Thursday, 7 August 2008
DVD Reviews - July 29
The Band�s Visit
Director: Eran Kolirin
Stars: Ahuva Keren, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai, and Khalifa Natour
Rating: PG-13
The Band�s Visit, the charming film about a touring Egyptian police orchestra that winds up disbursal a night in the wrong Israeli town, begins with a humble disclaimer: �Not many remember this. It was not that important.�
It�s a perfect summary of exactly why writer-director Eran Kolirin�s fairy fib works so well. There is no air of importance here. There is no attack to manufacture Middle East peace. A group of Arabs cannot transform an Israeli townspeople overnight. But what if a few Israelis and a few Arabs could achieve a glimmer of understanding between them? It makes for an about believable pansy tale. There is chemistry among the three leads: The starchy police colonel and band conductor Tawfiq (Sasson Gabai), the younger, less pent-up violinist Haled (Saleh Bakri) and the Israeli restaurant owner Dina (a mesmerizing Ronit Elkabetz, who appears to experience escaped from an Almodovar film).
For a movie about an orchestra, there�s an awful lot of muteness in The Band�s Visit, and it�s used to beautiful effect, subtly underscoring cultural differences, such as the way Tawfiq�s eyes can�t help but