THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

In brief news today there is more on Fosamax (this time being associated with a risk for esophageal cancer) and on CureVac’s early stage trial of CV9103.

In a Letter to the Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, published on January1, 2009, Wyskowski reports that the US Food and Drug Administration has identified 23 reported cases of esophageal cancer that may be associated with use of alendronate (Fosamax). Eight of the patients have died. Commenting on this report, ABS News has stated that, “most experts said that the incidence of esophageal cancer in patients taking Fosamax might not be high enough to warrant concern.” However, this report only adds fuel to the fire already burning because of the possible association between alendronate and osteonecrosis of the jaw (discussed in a commentary earlier today)

In December we reported the initiation of a Phase I/II clinical trial of CureVac’s messanger RNA-based prostate cancer “vaccine” (CV9103) in Europe. In a further press release today, CureVac has announce approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to enroll US-based patients into this trial, which is being conducted in hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients. However, at the present time we can find no detailed information about this trial on the ClinicalTrials.gov web site. According to the company’s press release, US patients can be enrolled into this trial at the Urology Clinic of the University of Florida at Gainesville.