Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Here are some of the latest health as well as health examination news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

FDA Approves Drug for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

The chemotherapy drug Alimta can be used as a maintenance treatment for advanced cases of non-small cell lung cancer, the U.S. Food as well as Drug Administration said Monday. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most ordinary form of the disease.

Drugmaker Eli Lilly as well as Co. said the drug will be used after an initial ball-shaped of chemotherapy to halt disease progression, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA’s approval of this recent take of Alimta was based on a study of 600 patients.

“This drug represents a recent approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer,” Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation as well as Research, said in a news release. “Typically, patients whose tumors respond to chemotherapy dont receive further treatment after four-to-six chemotherapy cycles. This study demonstrates an advantage in overall survival in certain patients who received Alimta for maintenance therapy.”

Alimta (pemetrexed) was introduced in 2004 as well as was already approved for take alone or in combination with other chemotherapies to treat two other types of advanced lung cancer as well as mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure, the AP reported.

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Laser Treatment Shows Promise Against Vision Loss

A recent laser treatment may help halt age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among elderly people in the western world.

Improvements to sight were reported in about 50 people with diabetic eye disease who took part in beginning proof of concept trials, BBC News reported. Diabetic eye disease was used as a model in the tests because eye problems develop faster than in AMD, which affects central vision.

The painless laser treatment, developed by Professor John Marshall of King’s College London, restores the back of the eye to a youthful condition. It does this by clearing away a build-up of common waste materials produced by light-sensitive cells. As people age, the eyes’ system for clearing away the waste materials can fail.

“If it is shown to work it is an extremely exciting development as well as potentially a real breakthrough,” a spokeswoman for the Macular Disease Society in the U.K. told BBC News. “It will not sadly be useful in those who possess already lost their sight to AMD, but it may possess large hope for the expected.”

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Utility Knife Blades Found in Energy Drinks

Consumers should avoid Hardcore Energize Bullet drink as well as Recent Whey liquid products because utility knife blades were found in one container each of the energy drinks, according to the U.S. Food as well as Drug Administration.

The apparent case of tampering has prompted a recall of the products, which are sold in test-tube similar vials. No injuries possess been reported, the Associated Press reported.

Recent Whey, which is made as well as sold in the United States by IDS of Oviedo, Fla., comes in two flavors – blue raspberry as well as fruit punch. Hardcore Energize Bullet is made by Protica Inc., of Whitehall, Pa., as well as is sold in Canada in two flavors, Not light Rush as well as Blue Rage.