February 2010

Executives at Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation may one day look back on 2009 as the year when the coming-out party for the two-decades-old firm located in Tustin, California, began.

If there is such a thing as a business trifecta, Seattle Genetics is nearly there. The Washington state biotechnology company is focused on the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibody–based therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. And with a potent pipeline of potential products and numerous technology and marketing collaborations in place, the opportunities for growth are in the air.

The December issue of Oncology & Biotech News featured highlights from the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. We wrap up our ASH coverage this month with interviews on multiple myeloma with Brian G.M. Durie, MD, medical director and co-founder of the International Myeloma Foundation; chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with Robert J. Kreitman, MD, from the National Cancer Institute; and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with Francis J. Giles, MD, Cancer Therapy and Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Participation in clinical trial research is essential to continued improvement in cancer care. Yet, fewer than 10% of U.S. adults enroll in trials. A recent US Oncology�sponsored survey found that most oncologists remain optimistic about the future of clinical trial research. We discuss obstacles to clinical trial enrollment with Nicholas Vogelzang, MD, and Matthew Galsky, MD, of the Comprehensive CancerCenters of Nevada.

A persistent concern about using marijuana for medical purposes has been the lack of clinical trials demonstrating marijuana's effectiveness in any of the conditions for which it is legally prescribed in many states. Now, a team of researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) has presented a summary of studies to the California legislature that claims smoking marijuana relieves pain in several chronic illnesses.