Content about Lung cancer

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for a cancer drug made by Roche unit Genentech, the agency said.

The FDA announced the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) combined with fluoropyrimidine-irinotecan or fluoropyrimidine-oxaliplatin chemotherapy for treating colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastatic colorectal cancer, or mCRC.

The drug is also approved for treating lung cancer, kidney cancer and brain cancer.

SUMMIT, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved an injected drug for lung cancer made by Celgene, the company said Friday.

Celgene announced the approval of Abraxane (paclitaxel) protein-bound particles for injectable suspension, for the first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer that has advanced locally or spread to other parts of the body, in combination with carboplatin, for patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation therapy.

ATLANTA — Sales of smoking-cessation products may realize a March boom following a recent government advertising campaign that encourages Americans to quit smoking.

One week following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's launch of its Tips from Former Smokers campaign, calls to the 1-800-QUIT-NOW quitline were up 130.4%, the agency reported Monday. Calls were up an additional 3.5% in the subsequent week.

A record 34,413 calls were fielded between March 26 and April 1, the CDC reported.

LONDON — Evidence supporting the daily use of aspirin to help prevent and possibly treat cancer was published Tuesday in a collection of three papers — two in The Lancet and one in Lancet Oncology.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Sagent Pharmaceuticals has launched its new chemotherapy drug.

Sagent sent that its paclitaxel injection USP is available in 30-mg, 100-mg and 300-mg latex-free, multi-dose vials. Paclitaxel is indicated for use alone or with other drugs to treat ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, Sagent said.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new cancer drug made by Pfizer, the drug maker said.

The FDA approved Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) capsules, a treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has advanced locally or spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastasis. The drug specifically is designed to target NSCLC containing the enzyme anaplastic lymphoma kinase, as determined by a companion test also approved by the FDA.

BRISBANE, Calif. — An investigational drug made by InterMune improved breathing in patients with a rare and fatal lung disease, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial published online in The Lancet last week.

InterMune is investigating the drug pirfenidone as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which affects more than 200,000 patients in the European Union and the United States combined. Only 20% of patients with IPF survive after five years.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — While failing to improve overall survival, an investigational treatment for non-small cell lung cancer made by Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals did keep the disease from worsening and, overall, caused patients to respond to treatment, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

Sanofi and Regeneron announced Thursday results of the phase-3 “VITAL” trial of aflibercept. Patients were administered either the drug or placebo in addition to docetaxel chemotherapy.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic cancer drug from Hospira.

The drug maker announced the approval of topotecan injection for treating small-cell lung cancer sensitive disease after first-line chemotherapy has failed.

The drug is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Hycamtin, which had sales of more than $140 million in 2010, according to Hospira.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. A new study released Wednesday by the American Lung Association, and conducted by researchers at Penn State University, found that helping smokers quit not only saves lives but also offers favorable economic benefits to California and the nation.

“Smoking Cessation: The Economic Benefits” provides a nationwide cost-benefit analysis that compares the societal costs of smoking with the economic benefits of states providing cessation coverage.