Food effects on Nilotinib: Presentation of the NIFO Study at ASH 2018
Every medicine has different characteristics how the body converts the tablet or capsule into the active substance that treats the disease. Other medications taken in parallel can influence how much of one or the other drug is being absorbed by the body, which can either increase or decrease the blood levels, impacting efficacy or side-effects. In addition, the TKIs in use with CML have different mechanisms to interact with food taken at the same time as the drug. For example, Imatinib and Bosutinib need to be taken with food, as intake on an empty stomach can cause gastrointestinal irritation. Dasatinib and Ponatinib do not have significant interactions with food, so they can be taken while eating or fasting. Nilotinib and Asciminib need to be taken without food. A poster at this year's ASH provides some interesting new data on Nilotinib.
ASH report on news about generic imatinib
When generic imatinib was introduced between 2013 and 2016 when the Glivec patent expired, generic formulations have been used recently as a more cost-effective treatment, but there are few studies that have prospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of these drugs. By the time of introduction of generics, many patients and physicians were concerned about whether generic versions of the drug are as effective as the original, but no publications from the more strongly regulated markets have substantiated these concerns.
At this year's ASH congress, two publications addressed the topics of generic imatinib - one observational study from Brazil, Argentina and Italy on first-line treatment with branded and generic imatinib, and one observational study from Italy on switching from Glivec to generic imatinib.
ASH 2018 CML Education Session: With great success comes great responsibility
“June 2018 was the 20th anniversary of the clinical use of the first Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI), Imatinib, in CML patients. Since then, the change in prognosis is one of the major success stories of modern cancer medicine”. Having this as an introduction of the CML section in this year’s education book of the ASH reminded me how far we’ve come in the past 20 years. Two decades have passed since first CML patients tested STI571, now called Imatinib, on initiative by CML experts Brian Druker and John Goldman against much resistance of established experts who thought this whole TKI approach is never going to work.
Today, as long as they can access current CML treatments, patients and doctors are no longer concerned with delaying the inevitable progression of the disease or the time towards bone marrow transplant, as it was in 2001. Today’s focus on the best choice of therapy based on the individual molecular biology of the disease, as well as individual comorbidities, side effects, quality of life. The main treatment goals are mainly to reduce disease burden quickly to prevent risk of early progression, and then achieve deep molecular remission and good quality of life. For about one fourth of patients, therapy-free remission after years of treatment is already an attainable goal.
“With great success comes great responsibility” was the motto of this year’s CML Education Session at ASH 2018 – reflecting that with all the choice we have, we must do our best to leverage all therapeutic options to give each patient the best care possible, to live up to the promise that any CML patient can live a normal, long and good life. The three speakers, Prof Jane Apperley from the Hammersmith Hospital in London, Prof Tim Hughes from Adelaide and Prof Charles Craddock from the University of Birmingham made this very practical by outlining therapeutic decision making on two hypothetical cases: 55 year old overweight, smoking Bob with additional chromosomal abnormalities, and 22 year old Sue who was pregnant. The three CML experts touched upon three important areas: choice of first-line treatment, molecular monitoring schedules, and advances in stem cell transplant for patients where TKIs have failed.
[Click on "read more" to read the full article, and click here for the slides of the session.]
ASH 2018 Report (I): Treating CML during pregnancy
The 60th American Society of Haematology Annual Meeting and Exposition is taking place from 1-4 December in San Diego, USA.
The meeting is providing a huge educational experience and the opportunity to review thousands of scientific abstracts highlighting updates in the hottest topics in haematology with the attendance of more than 25,000 health-care professionals as well as many patient advocates.
We are pleased to share with you our first "ASH 2018 Report", contributed by our co-founder Jan Geissler.
Fellowships available to attend the DIA Europe 2019 Conference
DIA Europe 2019 is an annual conference organized by the global association DIA that connects life science professionals from many different areas with patients, peers and thought leaders.
From 5th to 7th February 2019, key thought leaders and healthcare innovators as the industry, academia, regulatory, government agencies, patient, and philanthropic organizations will come from across all disciplines involved in healthcare products and therapies. The meeting is intended to strengthen professionals’ understanding of the value of cross-discipline integration and to foster innovation for better health outcomes.
For more information, please visit the Dia Europe 2019 website.
Apply for a fellowship by Wednesday, the 5th of December 2018, 12:00 CET
This year's conference will take place at the Austria Center Vienna from the 5th to the 7th of February 2019.
DIA Europe 2019 is offering up to five Full Fellowships and up to fifteen Registration Fee waivers to include the patient representatives input in the conversation.
Be a part of the Patient Advocacy Program for the 13th Annual Patient, Family and Donor Day
The 45th EBMT (European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation) Congress will be held in Frankfurt, Germany during March 24th to 27th, 2019. The EBMT is happy to announce that they have added a new segment to the Congress and would like to introduce the new parallel session "Patient Advocacy Program" which will run as a part of the 13th Annual Patient, Family and Donor Day, taking place on Sunday, March 24th, 2019.
Be a part of the Patient Advocacy Program for the 13th Annual Patient, Family and Donor Day that is held at the annual EBMT Congress in Frankfurt, Germany.
Patient advocates are invited to participate in this remarkable and essential annual event of the: Patient, Family and Donor Day, that will now include a Patient Advocacy Track and it is free to attend.
There is also the opportunity to be able to have access to the full EBMT Congress (March 24th – 27th), by applying for a free registration. You will need to be quick to apply as there is a limited amount of 30 available for patient advocates.
