Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - (Page 5) 5 Of Interest to Pharmacists DRUG TOPICS EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Dr. Luis Paz-Ares, PhD, of Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, Seville, Spain, presented results of a multicenter study of first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (stage IIIB disease with malignant pleural effusion, stage IV, or measurable recurrent disease), with 150 patients randomized two to one ratio to chemotherapy (paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 plus carboplatin [AUC=6]) plus CP-751871 (10mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) or to chemotherapy alone (paclitaxel plus carboplatin). In both groups, chemotherapy was given every three weeks for up to six cycles. CP-751871 was given until disease progression. Those progressing in the chemotherapy arm could then receive single-agent CP-751871 or the combination. Objective response rate (ORR) was the primary objective. Adenocarcinoma was identified in about 80 percent of patients overall, and SCC in 16 percent and 23 percent of patients in the combination-therapy and chemotherapy-alone groups, respectively. In the combination-therapy group, ORR was 54 percent, compared to 41 percent in the chemotherapy-alone group. In the SCC subpopulation, a dose response was noted for CP-751871, with ORR rates of 78 percent and 57 percent for the 20 mg and 10 mg doses, versus 46 percent for chemotherapy alone. Also, ORR among SCC patients receiving CP-751871 alone was 78 percent. Among patients with adenocarcinoma, ORR was 57percent/38percent for the CP-751871 doses and 25 percent for chemotherapy alone. In patients with undifferentiated tumors, there was no benefit from CP751871. “That’s consistent with the minimal IGF-1R expression seen in undifferentiated tumors,” Paz-Ares said. Philip P. Burgess, RPh, MBA National Director Pharmacy Affairs Walgreen Co. Deerfield, Ill. Perry Cohen, PharmD, FAMCP The Pharmacy Group LLC Glastonbury, Conn. David J. Fong, PharmD Senior Vice President Pharmacy and Family Care Safeway Inc. Pleasanton, Calif. Mary E. Inguanti, RPh, MPH Vice President, Operations Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Hartford, Conn. James A. Jorgenson, RPh, MS, FASHP Executive Director, Pharmacy Clarian Health/ Methodist Hospital Indianapolis Dennis Burton, BSPharm, MBA Vice President Specialty Pharmacy Services Specialty Scripts Pharmacy Fall River, Mass. Frederick S. Mayer, RPh, MPH President Pharmacists Planning Service Inc. San Rafael, Calif. Gene Memoli Jr., RPh, FASCP Notable advantages Benefits from the combination therapy were noted as well in PFS, particularly in the SCC group (at the higher dose). Grades three to four fatigue (10 percent), hyperglycemia (20 percent), and neutropenia (30 percent), the most common side effects of CP-751871 were generally manageable. The combination of CP-751871 and paclitaxel and carboplatin, Paz-Ares concluded, improved objective response rates compared with chemotherapy alone, with apparent dose responses in adenocarcinoma and in SCC. Robust responses in patients with bulky squamous tumors, rarely seen with chemotherapy alone, were also observed. The higher CP-751871 dose is being evaluated in ongoing Phase III studies among chemo-naïve patients with refractory NSCLC. Director Customer Development Omnicare Cheshire, Conn. Jack Rosenberg, PharmD, PhD Professor and Director International Drug Information Center, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University Brooklyn, N.Y. Stephen W. Schondelmeyer PharmD, PhD Director, PRIME Institute College of Pharmacy University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 Medication Errors: What to do When You Make a Mistake Stockholm Oncology Congress Reports on Several Studies Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 (Page 1) Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 (Page 2) Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Medication Errors: What to do When You Make a Mistake (Page 3) Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Stockholm Oncology Congress Reports on Several Studies (Page 4) Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Stockholm Oncology Congress Reports on Several Studies (Page 5) Drug Topics - November 3, 2008 - Stockholm Oncology Congress Reports on Several Studies (Page 6)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.