The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is taking a leadership role in the oncology community by planning the NCCN REMS Oncology Summit to discuss issues and recommendations regarding the appropriate application of REMS in oncology. During the REMS Summit, NCCN will present its recommendations regarding the development and implementation of REMS based on the expertise of pharmacists.

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Intellikine, Inc. has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for its targeted anticancer drug INK128, a novel orally-available small molecule inhibitor of both the TORC1 and TORC2 complexes. The mTOR kinase represents a central node in human cancer biology and has become an important target for oncology drug development. Unlike other drugs targeting the pathway, INK128 directly inhibits the activity associated with both the TORC1 and TORC2 complexes of the mTOR kinase.

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Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation (RPC) has announced that it has signed a 3-year marketing, sales and distribution agreement with GenWay Biotech Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, GenWay Biotech Inc. has non-exclusive rights to distribute RPC’s Onko-Sure(TM) in vitro diagnostic cancer (IVD) test in the European Union, Middle East (excluding Israel), United Kingdom and Russia; and is responsible for product sales and marketing in these markets.

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Sirtex Medical Inc. has announced the development and implementation of the Centers of Excellence (COE) Program. The COE designation recognizes premier hospitals and medical centers in the United States that have made significant contributions to interventional oncology research and clinical practice, including the use of SIR-Spheres microspheres. Manufactured by Sirtex, SIR-Spheres microspheres are the only FDA-approved radioactive microsphere therapy for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has not received the FDA approval for the supplementary marketing application for its advanced metastatic colorectal cancer drug Fusilev. Fusilev is already approved for use after high-dose methotrexate therapy in osteosarcoma. It is also approved to decrease the toxicity and counteract the effects of impaired methotrexate elimination and of inadvertent over dosage of folic acid antagonists.

The US health regulators have accepted and filed for review Cell Therapeutics Inc’s application seeking marketing approval for its experimental drug to treat a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. The FDA has designated a standard review for pixantrone as a treatment for relapsed, aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the company said.

The FDA has approved Genentech’s cancer treatment Avastin (bevacizumab) for kidney cancer. Avastin blocks new blood vessels from forming and supplying tumors with the nutrients they need to grow and spread to other parts of the body. This drug is already being used for the treatment of colorectal cancer, breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer and is being tested for the treatment of more than 30 tumor types.

The FDA has approved Alimta, the first drug for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer. Manufactured by Eli Lilly and generically known as pemetrexed, this drug may prevent this form of lung cancer from progressing further after the size of the tumor has shrunk or been stabilized following chemotherapy. Alimta works by disrupting metabolic processes which depend on the B-vitamin folate for cell replication.

Varian Medical Systems is introducing a new product that makes it easier for clinicians to store, manage and view images generated during cancer treatments. Varian will showcase its new OncoView™ image management and storage solution at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in Chicago, November 30 – December 4, 2008. OncoView provides oncology professionals with a reliable, scalable way of archiving and accessing the images and data that impact decisions about a patient’s course of treatment.

National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has announced the launch of a new piece of medical technology aimed at improving the success rates of radiotherapy cancer treatments. The new clinical electron linear accelerator (linac) will help ensure patients are treated with accurate doses of radiation. NPL’s new clinical linac’s ability to provide highly stable beams and accurate doses will enable calibrations with smaller uncertainties. This will allow hospitals to deliver more accurate, and more effective, radiation doses to cancer patients.