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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Henry Niman who wrote (11563)	11/21/1997 10:52:00 AM
From: george damas	Read Replies (8) \| Respond to of 32384

Henry, A friend of mine told me last night NBC4 in Washington ran a story on a Ligand drug on their 11:00PM news, luckily they also post the hearing impaired version on the web, here is a cut a paste version, though it doesn't mention Ligand in writing, it was supposedly said, what are your thoughts? George Coming up on News 4... 22:59:48.09 >> I got a second chance. A report on an experimental drug that's giving some cancer patients new hope Still ahead on News 4 23:08:34.11 at 11:00... 23:08:34.83 He was near death a few years 23:08:35.27 ago. 23:08:37.08 And now he's sky diving. 23:08:37.90 We'll tell you about the 23:08:38.62 experimental cancer drug that 23:08:42.41 saved his life News 4 your health now. 23:11:02.80 Promising new research is 23:11:03.46 offering cancer patients new 23:11:04.12 hope. 23:11:04.94 It's an experimental drug that 23:11:06.26 may be useful in treating 23:11:12.08 23:11:17.90 several kinds of cancers. 23:11:19.16 >> I forgot to pull my rip 23:11:20.87 cord. 23:11:22.52 >> Reporter: That sky driving 23:11:23.67 adventure was a wild ride all 23:11:24.22 right. 23:11:27.02 >> You go from this roar of 123 23:11:29.33 miles per hour to silence. 23:11:32.13 >> Reporter: But Steve Otto 23:11:33.72 will tell you that was really 23:11:35.53 no big deal compared to that 23:11:37.46 other free fall he was in a few 23:11:38.00 years ago. 23:11:39.65 He was fighting cancer and 23:11:42.23 losing. 23:11:43.88 >> Just make me as comfortable 23:11:46.08 as possible for as long as 23:11:47.12 possible and just deal with 23:11:48.17 things as they come. 23:11:49.48 >> Reporter: This picture of 23:11:51.08 Steve Otto was taken about 3 23:11:52.94 years ago, after the surgery to 23:11:53.71 remove cancer from his mouth 23:11:54.98 and tongue. 23:11:57.06 After the radiation and the 23:11:59.59 powerful chemotherapy. 23:12:01.18 None of it killed the cancer. 23:12:02.72 And the doctors told Steve that 23:12:04.97 his last hope was surgery that 23:12:07.06 would make it impossible for 23:12:09.31 him to talk or eat again. 23:12:11.23 >> I can't begin to say when 23:12:13.27 you're going through the 23:12:13.71 chemotherapy. 23:12:15.02 And you talk to people, and 23:12:17.33 you're having fun, and who can 23:12:18.43 top with the best jokes. 23:12:20.57 And you realize you're all 23:12:20.96 dying. 23:12:22.77 >> Reporter: It was during his 23:12:24.03 darkest time that Steve learned 23:12:26.01 about an experimental new drug 23:12:28.48 being tested at the Lombardi 23:12:29.09 cancer center. 23:12:32.49 A pill made out of a vite rin A 23:12:36.50 derivative called Retinoidacid. 23:12:39.47 >> What happened is Steve 23:12:40.84 started to have less pain in 23:12:42.32 the area of his tumor. 23:12:47.43 And then the cat scans, we saw 23:12:48.86 shrinkage of the tumor and the 23:12:49.46 swelling in that area. 23:12:51.28 >> Reporter: First, Steve's 23:12:52.10 tumor started to shrink and 23:12:53.36 then it disappeared. 23:12:59.40 Just how the Retenoid acid 23:13:00.89 works is just a theory. 23:13:02.59 But researchers think it causes 23:13:05.28 the cancer cells to behave more 23:13:06.76 like normal cells. 23:13:08.69 >> Chemotherapy works by 23:13:10.22 poisoning the cancer cell. 23:13:12.04 And so these would be very 23:13:13.03 different kinds of treatments. 23:13:14.18 >> Reporter: Steve suffered no 23:13:15.55 side effects during his 23:13:15.99 treatment. 23:13:18.41 He continues to take the 23:13:19.07 experimental drug. 23:13:21.15 He's back now at the bar 23:13:23.08 tending job he loves, feeling 23:13:24.78 strong, and feeling very lucky 23:13:26.48 to be alive. 23:13:29.12 >> I got a second chance. 23:13:30.99 And I want people to hear about 23:13:32.63 me because I don't want people 23:13:35.05 to get as excited -- I want 23:13:37.14 people to get as excited as I 23:13:38.18 am. 23:13:39.06 >> This drug hasn't worked 23:13:39.61 as well for everyone 23:13:40.32 in the study. 23:13:41.04 And it's too early to tell how 23:13:41.75 promising this might be, but 23:13:42.47 the researchers see potential 23:13:43.23 here in the fight against head 23:13:44.50 and neck cancers, prostate 23:13:48.95 cancer, maybe even leukemia. 23:13:50.70 >> Good for him. 23:13:51.36 >> Yeah. 23:13:52.08 >> There's still a lot more 23:13:54.27 ahead on News 4 at 11:00