Targeted anticancer drugs ~ how safe?

[Guest guest]

Canadian study has looked at the safety of new targeted anticancer agents.

Within four years of approval, five of the 12 drugs they looked at had earned a

" black box warning " from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approves

new medications.

The new drugs include rituximab (sold as Rituxan), with four boxed warnings, and

ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin), with two boxed warnings, among others.

Often clinical trials, which form the basis for FDA drug approval, are too small

for rare side effects to surface, or they include only highly select patients.

" It's a warning to be very careful, " said Dr. Ian F. Tannock, an oncologist at

the University of Toronto, who led the study. " Patients need to be informed that

with a new agent there may be added risks. "

Article on Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733720

Source:

http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2010/12/02/JCO.2010.31.9624.abstract

~chris

CLL CANADA

http://cllcanada

[Guest guest]

I never here of verifying if your allergic to these drugs before treatment.

Need to lessen risk and It is known that 40+% of all drugs are prescribed

incorrectly,

Best Regards,

Jack