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Bone marrow screening held for East Greenbush man
Dan Adams may need bone marrow transplant to survive
Chris Aglietti, who does not know Dan Adams, has blood drawn to see if he is a bone marrow match for Adams, who suffers from a rare blood disease.
EAST GREENBUSH
By JOHN ALLEN
July 11, 2005 - Hundreds of people turned out Monday in Rensselaer County, hoping they can save a man's life.
East Greenbush native Dan Adams has cancer and may need a bone marrow transplant to survive.
For most of the afternoon and into the evening the community lined up at St. Mary's Church on Columbia Turnpike, rolling up their sleeves and being tested to see if they can be a possible bone marrow donor for Adams.
His mother is overwhelmed
“I'm so grateful. I don’t even know what to say,” Carol Adams said.
Dan Adams grew up in East Greenbush and graduated from college and law school. Shortly after he landed his first job with a Boston law he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder that often only a bone marrow transplant can cure.
Bone marrow matches are rare. The more people tested the better Dan Adams’ chances.
So the community has been holding fundraisers to make sure money would be no object for people coming out to be screened.
“We decided we were going to do a bowl-a-thon to raise money so people didn’t have to pay to get screened or tested,” explained Sue Ellen Murphy of the Dan Adams Committee. “It costs $65 for each person to get tested. So eliminating that fee helps out a lot.”
Right now Dan Adams is receiving treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, but as his mother points out the chances for success with that are not great.
“It's supposed to hopefully kick the bone marrow into action and kill whatever is not making things happen right. But this is kind of like the first leg and the chances of it being successful are not that great, but it’s the first way to go,” Carol Adams said.
So hundreds of folks -- many of whom never knew Dan Adams or his family -- say being screened is the right thing to do.
“I’d want the same done for me if I was in the same situation. Actually I had a friend who had a bone marrow transplant a couple of years ago and it worked out well for him. He’s doing well. So it kind of hits home,” said Chris Aglietti, who lined up to be screened.
The screening process is quick. You donate a little of your blood and in about 10 weeks you will now if you are a match.
Of the nearly 8 million people on the national bone marrow registry right now, there is only one person who is a possible match fro Dan Adams.
Myelodysplastic Syndrome - An Underserved Population Offers Commercial Opportunity
11/22/2005 - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28151) has announced the addition of Myelodysplastic Syndrome - An Underserved Population Offers Commercial Opportunity to their offering.
SuperGen/MGI Pharmas Dacogen and Celgenes Revlimid are in pre-registration for treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). However, the formers similar efficacy and toxicity to Pharmions Vidaza, the first drug indicated for MDS, coupled with the limited target population of the Revlimid, will leave a significant proportion of the MDS population underserved by pharmacotherapy.
MDS can affect all ages but is predominantly found in the elderly, with the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation estimating that 80% of those affected are over 60 years of age. Consequently as a result of the elderly suffering more co-morbidities and poorer prognosis, the current treatment of MDS consists mainly of supportive care.
In the years following Dacogens anticipated US launch in 2006, Datamonitor predicts the sales margin between it and Vidaza will narrow as physicians gain familiarity with Dacogen and SuperGen/MGI Pharma establish more convenient dosing regimens. However, Vidaza is still predicted to maintain a market lead over its closest direct competitor.
Recently recommended by the FDAs Advisory Committee for accelerated approval, Revlimid looks certain to enter the MDS market in 2006. Indicated for lower-risk MDS in the presence of a chromosome abnormality known as 5q-, Revlimid will quickly become the standard treatment in this patient cohort with additional off-label use also predicted.
Scope of the report:
-- Overview of MDS epidemiology, classification and staging, prognosis and risk factors
-- Examination of unmet needs in MDS treatment and market opportunities for drug developers
-- Review of current treatment controversies and physician opinion of existing and future treatment strategies
-- Profile of the therapeutic and commercial potential of pipeline drugs
Reasons to Purchase
-- Understand current controversies in MDS treatment and adopt knowledge from this report to drive strategic planning for novel MDS therapeutics
-- Assess opportunities and risks for innovative treatments within the MDS market
-- Gain insight into current treatment paradigms, as reported by leading oncologists/ hematologists
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28151
CONTACT:
Research and Markets Laura Wood press@researchandmarkets.com Fax: +353 1 4100 980
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