A free glossary of oncology-related terms and resource organizations.

About nm|OK

Why use a resource like nm|OK?
 
Unlike reports that are 'dead on arrival' nm|OK is a constantly updated comprehensive report on every aspect of oncology drug development.  click

Drugs profiled in nm|OK

nm|OK profiles over 4,310 drugs/in vivo imaging agents in development:

3,653 anticancer agents addressing over 100 cancer types and thousands of clinical indications. Of these, 1,695 are in active development; 821 have been or are currently being evaluated in clinical trials and 539 of these are targeted agents.

757 drugs for the management of complications of cancer and its treatment (pain, infection, mucositis, emesis, etc.)
 
nm|OK also profiles over 552 marketed drugs (anticancer agents=335, adjuncts=197) globally, providing trial results from monotherapy and combination therapy trials.

In vitro testing (IVT) products

nm|OK profiles over 200 companies and hundreds of products (screening tests, diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, prognostics, disease monitoring tests, theragnostics, etc.) in the in vitro testing area in oncology.

Enabling technologies/drug delivery

nm|OK describes hundreds of technology platforms used to discover, evaluate, optimize, and or deliver anticancer agents such as cytotoxics, synthetic nucleic acid sequences, small molecule drugs, monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins, etc.

Targets in oncology

nm|OK describes over 1,000 molecular moieties that may be target candidates of anticancer strategies or used as in vitro testing markers. 

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The headlines below refer to selected records among the hundreds updated in nm|OK within a 30-day period. A summary of the updated information, the complete records for each item on the list, and numerous other updated entries are available to subscribers upon logging in. Samples of records from each module are here.

Special reports are reviews of current developments of oncology and related drugs by indication, mechanism, delivery technology, etc. as well as personalized medicine, including biomarkers, diagnssostics, theragnostics, prognostics, pharmacogenomics, disease monitoring tests, etc. Samples of special reports are here.

New Drugs And Marketed Drugs

Company , Targets and In Vitro Tests

Special Reports and Additional News

New Drugs

Marketed Drugs

Company

Targets in Oncology

Cell Therapeutics' Pixuvri Granted Conditional Marketing Authorization in the EU as Monotherapy in Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive B-cell NHL
In May 2012, Cell Therapeutics received conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission (EC) for Pixuvri (pixantrone) as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (NHL) after several lines of therapy. Pixuvri is the first approved treatment in the European Union (EU) in this setting. (more...)

Avastin in Combination with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin Does not Benefit Older Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
According to investigators at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA) there was no benefit in patient survival in a subgroup of patients aged 65 years or older with advanced (Stage IIIb) or metastatic (Stage IV) non-squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer (nsclc) treated with carboplatin, paclitaxel and bevacizumab (Avastin) compared to the cytotoxic combination without bevacizumab, in contrast to results (Ramalingam SS, et al., J Clin Oncol, 1 Jan 2008;26(1):60-5) from a trial (protocol ID: E4599, CALGB-E4599) indicating that this combination was beneficial in this age group (Zhu J, et al., JAMA, 18 Apr 2012;307(15):1593-601).

Herceptin Significantly Improves Overall and Disease-free Survival in Women with Early Breast Cancer but Also Significantly Increases Cardiotoxicity
Based on a retrospective reviews of results from 8 randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab alone, or in combination with chemotherapy, or no treatment, or standard chemotherapy alone, in women with HEr2-positive early breast cancer including women with locally advanced breast cancer, investigators at the University of Milan, in Italy, concluded that trastuzumab significantly improves OS and DFS in these patients but also significantly increases the risk of CHF and LVEF decline. Although shorter duration of therapy may reduce cardiotoxicity while maintaining efficacy, there is insufficient evidence at present to conclude this because of the small numbers of patients in these trials (Moja L, et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 18 Apr 2012;4:CD006243).

In March 2012, according to topline results from EMILIA, the first randomized phase III clinical trial (protocol ID: TDM4652g; NCT00951665) with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), that enrolled 991 patients with HEr2-positive metastatic breast cancer previously treated with Herceptin and a taxane, PFS of patients treated with T-DM1 was significantly longer compared to those treated with lapatinib (Tykerb) plus capecitabine (Xeloda). Specific results were not released. Final results for OS, a co-primary efficacy endpoint of EMILIA, are not yet mature. Detailed data will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting. One of the advantages of using T-DM1 in this indication is that it is a monotherapy, thus eliminating the administration of an additional cytotoxic agent. Based on these findings, Roche plans to submit an MAA to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Genentech plans to submit a BLA for T-DM1 to the FDA in 2012 for this indication. The Tykerb/Xeloda regimen, used as the comperator arm in this trial, is approved globally for this indication based on results of a phase III clinical trial (protocol ID: EGF100151; 100151; NCT00078572). It is interesting to note that in this trial, patient outcomes were significantly affected by the presence of the cyclin D1 (CCND1) A870G polymorphism. Therefore, CCND1A870G may be a useful predictor of clinical outcome in patients with metastatic HEr2-positive breast cancer treated with Tykerb plus Xeloda (Labonte MJ, et al., Ann Oncol, 11 Oct 2011; epub ahead of print).

Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Updates
Results have been reported from various late stage clinical trials in breast cancer, in the metastatic, adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting, conducted to clarify the role of monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, alone or in combination, in HEr2-positive breast cancer. Also, bevacizumab (Avastin) is back in the news as beneficial in the early stage HEr2-negative breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting.

• Combination of HEr2 Inhibitors Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab (more free. . .)
• Lapatinib versus Trastuzumab Monotherapy in the Adjuvant Setting(more free. . .)
• Trastuzumab Versus Lapatinib in the Neoadjuvant Setting (more free. . .)
• Dual HEr2 Blockade in the Neoadjuvant Setting (more free. . .)
• Bevcizumab Plus Epirubicin and Paclitaxel in Triple Negative Breast Cancer in the Neoadjuvant Setting (more free. . .)

Immunotherapies/Vaccines in Phase III Clinical Trials in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

In addition to an ongoing phase III clinical trial with the approved immunotherapeutic ipilimumab (Yervoy; Bristol-Myers Squibb) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (nsclc) there are also at least 5 novel vaccines being evaluated in phase III for this indication globally. Each trial targets a distinct group of patients with this disease in terms of nsclc histology, disease stage, treatment status, and pathology/molecular profile.

Inhibition of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Pathway for the Treatment of Cancer
The success of Avastin, an antiangiogenesis agent targeting the VEGF pathway, has prompted the development of numerous similarly acting agents. Avastin, with global revenues of $6,210.5 million in fiscal 2010, is the most commercially successful anticancer drug ever to reach the market. Future Oncology has published a review of VEGF inhibition in the treatment of cancer. (more...)

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