FDA approves Vandetanib for Medullary thyroid cancer

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Vandetanib was by the FDA (food and Drug Administration) tiroide adult approved for the treatment of late stage and may not have the operation, and the disease is progressing and cause symptoms.

Thyroid cancer is cancer of the thyroid gland, located on the front of the neck. Hormones that control our body's metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, weight and blood pressure produced the thyroid gland. Although not common, thyroid cancer incidence is growing.

Thyroid cancer is about 3% of all cancers of the thyroid gland. The cancer begins in the C-cells of the thyroid gland. Cancers that begin in the C cells make extremely high calcitonin. This type of thyroid cancer develops slowly.

In 2010, there were about 44,600 new thyroid cancer diagnoses in the United States, and total deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute. 1,300 To 2,200 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year in the United States.

Medullary thyroid cancer symptoms can are swallowing, enlargement of the thyroid gland, neck swelling, a lump on thyroid, cough, and changes in the patient's voice.

Vandetanib aims to extend to the ability of the cancer and to grow. There are no available FDA approved treatments for thyroid cancer.

The FDA informed that you the results of a single, randomized international study involving 331 individuals with tiroide late-stage (metastasierendem) studied. You have been randomly selected to get either Vandetanib or a placebo (dummy treatment).

The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival - in other words, your goal was to determine how long the patients live without their cancer survived.

The study showed that averaged for the 22.6 months, compared with 16.4 months among the placebo on Vandetanib, progression-free survival. The FDA says that it is too early to determine whether the Vandetanib are longer than the placebo to live patients.

Richard Pazdur, m.d., Director of the Office of oncology drug of in the FDA Center for drug evaluation and research, said:

"Des Vandetanib agreement underlines commitment of the FDA approved treatment options for patients with rare and difficult diseases to treat."

The following side effects occur when Vandetanib under: nausea, hypertension (high blood pressure), headache, less appetite, abdominal pain, rash and diarrhea. Vandetanib can cause also irregular heartbeat, which can be life-threatening in some cases.

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Wilmington, ice hockey, United States, distributes Vandetanib. There are still no established trade name for Vandetanib.

Howard Hutchinson, Chief Medical Officer, AstraZeneca, said:

"Vandetanib is FDA-approved specifically for use in patients with advanced thyroid cancer receive only medicine and the AstraZeneca is the first drug that has developed and put into the United States to the market under the orphan drug designation."

Source: FDA, AstraZeneca.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
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