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Biotech / Medical : Celgene-CELG -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Miljenko Zuanic who wrote (542)	6/21/2001 8:11:57 PM
From: Vector1	Respond to of 804

Miljenko, approval for first line therapy is questionable IMO, but this has not changed because of the NEJM letter. Refractory approval has IMO a high likelihood. However, since most patients untimately fail traditional chemo in MM, refractory is a substantial market. The fact is that T will have to be analyzed with various combinations on various type of patients to come upo with the best protocol for patients. Interesting the drug was efficatious on all of the patients in the study who had thrombotic side effects. V1

To: Miljenko Zuanic who wrote (542)	6/21/2001 8:26:19 PM
From: Mike K	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 804

As a myeloma patient let me chime in with my own anecdotal experience with thalidomide. Thalidomide is being used off-label as first line therapy for multiple myeloma. It is also being used as a maintenance drug following stem-cell transplant. I currently take the drug for maintenance following tandem transplants. It's a harsh drug with lots of side-effects but works very well. I know several patients who use the drug as first-line therapy alone or in combination with steroids such as prednisone or decadron.One woman friend has used thalidomide as her only myeloma treatment for 18 months and she's doing great. The issue of DVT is a widely known potential risk with DOX.The chemotherapy regime with DOX and thalidomide is very rough and I don't know many patients who have tolerated it well. It's main use is in the most drastic refractory cases. When I spoke with my oncologist earlier today, he did not expect the NEJM report to alter the use of thalidomide for myeloma treatment in any significant way. Cheers, Mike