Medarex shares up as prostate cancer drug shows promise

Shares of Medarex Inc (MEDX.O) rose as much as 22 percent Monday on a Mayo Clinic report that two prostate cancer patients became cancer-free after being treated with the company's experimental drug, ipilimumab, in combination with other therapies and surgery.

On Friday, the Mayo Clinic said both patients experienced reduction in levels of a protein called PSA, or prostate specific antigen, and tumor shrinkage after receiving one dose of ipilimumab, which allowed them to be treated with surgery.

The two patients had tumors that were considered inoperable at diagnosis, the Mayo Clinic said.

Patients in the mid-stage study were being treated with ipilimumab in combination with hormone treatment and radiation therapy.

"It is really the headline itself of these dramatic responses irrespective of the patient number that is driving the stock at this point," Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Joseph Pantginis said.

The Mayo Clinic published the report about the study in its online research magazine, Discovery's Edge.

"Certain caution is warranted... It is very different from a publication in a peer review medical journal, which usually goes through critical review by other experts," BMO Capital Markets analyst Jason Zhang said.

"Both patients received hormonal therapy. Although hormonal therapy typically does not yield this type of response, one can't exclude the possibility that the therapy has contributed to the outcome," Zhang added.

Ipilimumab is an antibody that is being developed by the company with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N) and is in trials for melanoma, lung cancer and prostate cancer.

"We think the melanoma is the lead product and the big value driver. The news today shows the potential activity of ipilimumab," Needham & Co analyst Mark Monane said.

"But to get real college credit, they have to do it with more than two patients. It is 108 patient trial and it is ongoing and we look forward to hearing those results," Monane added.

Medarex and Bristol-Myers recently initiated a late-stage trial with ipilimumab for prostate cancer. For the mid-stage study conducted by Mayo Clinic, Medarex provided the drug and supported safety monitoring during the protocol.

Shares of Medarex were up more than 17 percent at $8.65 Monday afternoon on Nasdaq. They had touched a high of $9.01 earlier in the session. Shares of Bristol-Myers were down little more than 1 percent at $20.30 on New York Stock Exchange.

Source: reuters.com

Virus genome reveals his animal origin

Reconstructed the origin of H1N1 through its genome analysis performed on 50 samples of virus collected in Mexico and in US: H1N1 is not similar to the other swine viruses but is composed of an assortment of gene segments of other flue viruses comes "by far". The news has been given in an anticipation of a Science magazine article to be published next week.

The genetic analysis of H1N1 was conducted by Rebecca Garten of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in collaboration with the World Health Organization WHO.

The analysis revealed that H1N1 does not like its closest relatives swine flue virus. This means that its genes have moved unnoticed for a very extended period of time suggesting that in future pig farms should be monitored to better monitor and predict the emergence of new flue viruses.

Experts have discovered that all eight gene segments that make up the genome of the virus H1N1 form together a combination of new genomic never reported so far no virus in pig and human flue: these eight segments instead have originated in an avian host and then have begun to circulate in pigs on several occasions between 1918 and 1998.

Six of the genetic segments have moved to North America starting in 1998 and are the result of an assembly of genes of human, porcine, avian flue. The other two segments are derived from Eurasian swine flue virus.

The fact that the genome of this new flue is so different from swine flue viruses of his relatives indicates that genes that ultimately led to the mosaic H1N1 were in circulation, completely unnoticed, for a long time.

100,000+ in U.S. Have Flu, Half Have Swine Flu

More than 100,000 Americans probably have the flu -- and at least half of these cases are H1N1 swine flu, a CDC expert estimates. The comment came from Daniel Jernigan, MD, PhD, deputy director of the CDC's influenza division, during a news conference.

Jernigan noted that the 4,700 confirmed or probable cases of swine flu reported to CDC represent a gross underestimate. When asked how many actual cases there were, Jernigan noted that 7% to 10% of the U.S. population -- up to 30 million people -- get the seasonal flu each year.

"So with the amount of activity we are seeing now, it is a little hard to know what that means in terms of making an estimate now of the total number of people with flu out in the community," Jernigan said. "But if I had to make an estimate, I would say ... probably upwards of maybe 100,000."

The CDC's most recent data, for the week ending May 9, shows that about half of Americans with confirmed flu had the H1N1 swine flu. If Jernigan's off-the-cuff estimate is correct, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. have the new flu.

At a time when flu season should be ending or over, the CDC's flu season indicators are going up instead of down. As of May 9, 22 states had widespread or regional flu.

Meanwhile, Arizona's Maricopa County -- home to Phoenix -- reported that a woman in her late 40s died from complications of the H1N1 swine flu. She is the nation's fourth H1N1 swine flu fatality. The woman had an underlying lung disease, according to the Maricopa County public health department.

Despite the death, the CDC's marker for flu severity -- deaths from pneumonia or flu -- did not increase beyond normal levels for this time of year. This so-called "epidemic threshold" is 7.4% of all deaths; for the week ending May 9, flu/pneumonia deaths were 7.2% of all deaths.

One of the most alarming signs of a flu pandemic is a lot of severe illness in people who don't usually suffer severe flu cases -- older children and young adults.

Most of the 173 people hospitalized in the U.S. with H1N1 swine flu have been between 5-24 years old.

"At this point, we're not seeing the seriousness of illness in the United States that was initially reported in Mexico, but this certainly does not mean that the outbreak is over," Jernigan said. "The H1N1 virus is not going away. We know that the outbreak is not localized but is spreading and appears to be expanding throughout the United States.
source: WebMD

Mesothelioma and its relationship with exposure to asbestos

The Mesothelioma is a disease spread throughout the world that has its root in the use of asbestos. Although the use of asbestos is now banned in the European Union, an estimated 250,000 workers in Western Europe will die of mesothelioma in 2029.

Mesothelioma is a rare and virulent form of cancer that affects the lining of lung cavity, or lining of the abdominal heart. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and affects those who have inhaled asbestos fibers, in many cases even 20-50 years earlier. Some were exposed at work, others in secondary education through family members who, unknowingly, have brought home fibers deposited on clothes or hair or on the skin.

Although the nature of this disease is serious, there is some hope. Every year, doctors and scientists around the world develop new therapies and make new discoveries that help to improve the chances of survival and quality of life of patients. Mesothelioma is almost always caused by the fiber of asbestos. Many people there were on display in the military, other because of their work, others, secondly, through the contact with the workers exposed. Because of its latency, cancer may not occur for 20-50 years and beyond, after exposure.

The first symptoms of mesothelioma are non-specific and may delaying the diagnosis. In general, short breath, chest pain and cough persistent symptoms are common pleural mesothelioma, but in some cases, may not be sharp enough to force the patient to require medical care. Some patients complain of a pain blade or the lower back. These symptoms longer often 2-3 months before a diagnosis confirmed. In mesothelioma peritoneal pain and abdominal swelling, nausea or vomiting, the bowel obstruction and weight loss are the most common symptoms. The important thing is that these symptoms are not specific mesothelioma, but also other diseases.

We recommend always seek the advice of a qualified physician.