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Doctors At Ohio State Witness Leukemia Breakthrough...


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I was skeptical when I first read about this last year.  However, the results are hard to deny.  900 patients are in remission.

 

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/06/19/columbus-doctors-at-ohio-state-university-witness-leukemia-breakthrough.html

 

Doctors At Ohio State Witness Leukemia Breakthrough

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Dennis Hickey admits he should be dead.

 

“I'm here, and I shouldn't be,” he said.

 

Thanks to some grey pills, Hickey has defied the odds associated with stage 4 terminal leukemia. He suffers from a form of leukemia called CLL.

 

“I should have passed away 10 years ago,” he said.

 

Hickey was part of a clinical trial at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute using the drug Ibrutinib.

 

According to Doctor John Byrd of The James, of the 900 patients in the trial, every single person has gone into remission.

 

“In most patients, their leukemia stays away,” Byrd said.

 

He says the drug works like a light switch -- turning off the power to the cancer cell -- and it stays off.

 

“It causes the cells to regress and stop growing in the patient,” the doctor said.

 

For Hickey, the opportunity to grow old and see his 11th grandchild is something he says he never imagined, considering doctors gave him six months to live.

“I feel better than I did 10 years ago,” he said.

 

Years he says he may never have had if not for those grey pills.

 

“I've lived longer than anyone else in my family. I have four brothers and they didn't live out of their 50s, and cancer runs in our family,” Hickey said. “I'm going to be 73 in July.”

 

Hickey will have to take the pills for the rest of his life, but he will not have to undergo any more chemotherapy.

 

The CLL leukemia that Hickey suffers from is the most common kind of adult Leukemia, impacting 43 people every half hour in the country.

 

The drug isn't available for the public yet, but the FDA is so impressed with its results that it's being fast-tracked for approval.

 

 

 

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Lets hear it for the scarlet and grey!!!

 

Kudo's to all of Ohio too.

 

Although Ibrutinib was first designed and synthesized at Celera Genomics (California) by Zhengying Pan (China).  Ibrutinib is currently under development by Pharmacyclics, Inc (New Jersey) and Johnson & Johnson's (Cincinnati, Ohio) Janssen Pharmaceutical division.

 

I try to think of this idea of Ibrutinib as largely a wonderful thing.  One thing I ran across while looking for further info was the following comments by a doctor in the CLL community.

 

http://www.ascopost.com/issues/may-1,-2013/ibrutinib-cll-trial-where-is-the-equipoise.aspx

 

Here’s the harsh reality: There are people on the control arm of RESONATE who will probably have disease progression and die. Presumably, that is what FDA believes is necessary to document improved survival. As I’ve pointed out, the magnitude of ibrutinib’s benefit obviates the need for this. I think it’s unfortunate, and most people in the CLL community feel the same way.

This is an important issue that needs open discussion.

 

Disclosure: Dr. O’Brien receives research support from Pharmacyclics

 

 

So, even though the good doctor receives support from Pharmacyclics, the matter of letting patients, on current drugs used for treatment of Leukemia, just simply die without benefit of a known good drug that works is simply idiotic IMHO for simply documenting an improved survival rate.

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Kudo's to all of Ohio too.

 

Although Ibrutinib was first designed and synthesized at Celera Genomics (California) by Zhengying Pan (China).  Ibrutinib is currently under development by Pharmacyclics, Inc (New Jersey) and Johnson & Johnson's (Cincinnati, Ohio) Janssen Pharmaceutical division.

 

I try to think of this idea of Ibrutinib as largely a wonderful thing.  One thing I ran across while looking for further info was the following comments by a doctor in the CLL community.

 

http://www.ascopost.com/issues/may-1,-2013/ibrutinib-cll-trial-where-is-the-equipoise.aspx

 

 

So, even though the good doctor receives support from Pharmacyclics, the matter of letting patients, on current drugs used for treatment of Leukemia, just simply die without benefit of a known good drug that works is simply idiotic IMHO for simply documenting an improved survival rate.

 

Stop being so paranoid, these are pharmaceutical companies who have your best interest at heart.  They wouldn't do anything unethical.   Ever. 

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Stop being so paranoid, these are pharmaceutical companies who have your best interest at heartThey wouldn't do anything unethical.   Ever. 

 

I'll have to add that one to my list...

 

•The check is in the mail.

•I'll respect you in the morning.

•I'm from your government, and I am here to help you.

•It's only a cold sore.

•You get this one, I'll pay next time.

•My wife doesn't understand me.

•Trust me, I'll take care of everything.

•Of course I love you.

•I am getting a divorce.

•Drinking? Why, no, Officer.

•I never inhaled.

•It's not the money, it's the principle of the thing.

•I never watch television except for PBS.

•...but we can still be good friends.

•She means nothing to me.

•Don't worry, I can go another 20 miles when the gauge is on "empty."

•I gave at the office.

•Don't worry, he's never bitten anyone.

•I'll call you later.

•We'll release the upgrade by the end of the year.

•Read my lips: no new taxes

•I've never done anything like this before

•Now, I'm going to tell you the truth

•It's supposed to make that noise.

•I *love* your new <hat/haircut/dress/suit...>!

•...then take a left. You can't miss it.

•Yes, I did.

•Don't worry, it's OK -- I'm sterile...

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