Every year millions of people die from cancer. However, scientists are working hard to discover solutions, and we are going to talk about the different treatments available in 2014 for cancer.
Pembrolizumab
Pembrolizumab is a drug designed to fend off skin cancer (melanoma). Merk & Co. is the manufacturer of this new drug, and the company is expecting the approval of the U.S. authorities. The inmuno-oncology drug is a treatment for melanoma that helps the immune system of the body to keep cancer away by blocking a protein called PD-1 or a related one called PD-L1, which tumors user to evade cells that fight diseases.
Other firms are working hard to develop drugs of the new class. It said these new drugs will generate around $30 billion in sales around the globe by 2025. The FDA is expected to approve the drug by October 28, but others think the agency will do it within the next weeks. However, this approval is not guaranteed. The problem is the agency cannot talk about the status of any of the applications it receives.
Merck expects to use the PD-1 drug for people suffering from skin cancer that get no relief from an immunotherapy called Yervoy, which deals with other areas of the immune system. Pembrolizumab is capable of decreasing the size of tumors in a third of patients with melanoma in its late stage – around 10,000 people die from this cancer each year in America. Some experts expect this drug to cure over half of the people suffering from melanoma in the next five to ten years.
It is said patients with very few options will consider Pembrolizumab as an ideal solution to their health issues. In fact, a third of those patients will have an opportunity to get a long-lasting, durable response, according to Dr. Antonia Ribas, a professor of hematology-oncology who teaches at the University of California. Merk is working hard to use PD-1 drugs as a solution for other kinds of cancer. One of the major markets is people suffering from lung cancer, which kills around 160,000 people in America every year When it comes to killing cancer cells, the new immuno-oncology drugs could have a broader influence, according to some researchers. They use the body’s own power to identify and kill cancer cells. On the contrary, oncology treatments used today act directly on cancer cells. Colitis, mild rash and liver problems are some of the potential side effects of the immuno-oncology drugs, since they tend to stimulate the body’s immune system.
Nivolumab
Bristol’s Nivolumab is a PD-1 drug designed to fight lung cancer. Patients may use it ether combined with Yervoy or as their stand-alone therapy. Nivolumab is just an experimental drug, and its manufacturer is waiting for the FDA approval. By using a combination of immuno-oncology agents, patients are more likely to achieve long-term results, according to experts at Bristol.
The FDA is receiving lung cancer information from Bristol, which expects to complete the application process by the end of the year People at Bristol say they think the company is at the forefront when it comes to lung cancer.
Brain Exercises
Brain exercises can help patients with breast cancer to make a difference in their lives, according to some experts. Software like Luminosity can help these patients improve both their health and their brains. Doing brain exercises for half an hour two or three times per week will aid patients of breast cancer fight this type of cancer. As per Luminosity, these patients can use it in order to improve both memory and attention. Patients suffering from chemo brain will get many benefits out of these exercises as well
We have been talking about some treatments available in 2014 for cancer. Merk’s Pembrolizumab is a drug designed to fend off cancer by blocking a protein called PD-1 and other called PD-L1, which are used by tumors in order to evade cells in charge of fighting cancer cells. The manufacturer is expecting approval from the FDA to be a reality by the end of this year We have also talked about a new PD-1 drug from Bristol called Nivolumab, which can be used either alone or combined with Yervoy. However, this experimental drug is waiting the FDA’s seal of approval. Patients with breast cancer must do some brain exercises too.
