NIHRAC approves 11 gene-therapy protocols

China approves world's first oncolytic virus therapy for cancer treatment.

Oncolytic virus research got a welcome boost last November when Chinese regulators approved the world’s fi rst oncolytic viral therapy for cancer, Shanghai Sunway Biotech’s genetically modifi ed adenovirus H101. “ It’s fantastic for the fi eld, ” said John Bell , Ph.D., of the Ottawa Health Research Institute in Canada. “ We needed to have something that was a success, and so I think this is a ...

ژن درمانی Gene Therapy

FDA approves new drug to treat dementia.

Actavis and Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the New Drug Application for NamzaricTM for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type in patients stabilized on memantine hydrochloride and donepezil hydrochloride. Namzaric will be available in two dosage strengths: 28/10 mg (memantine extended release/donepezi...

FDA approves regorafenib (Stivarga) for metastatic colorectal cancer.

“Stivarga is the latest colorectal cancer treatment to demonstrate an ability to extend patients’ lives, and is the second drug approved for patients with colorectal cancer in the past 2 months,” said Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the office of hematology and oncology products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a press release. In August, the FDA approved aflibercept (Zaltra...

Recent Advances in Hemophilia Gene Therapy

Heterogeneous loss of function mutations at F8 and F9 genes causes X-linked recessive bleeding disorders, hemophilia A (HA) and hemophilia B (HB), respectively. HA is clinically indistinguishable from HB and accounts for more than 80% of hemophilia cases; the former affects 1/5000 and the latter 1/25000 male births worldwide. In Iran, it is estimated that around 4300 HA and 900 HB patients are ...