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COSTLY INNOVATION:
A lz h e im e r ’s
The Key To New Generation Cancer Medicines
NINE NEW GENERATION GENE THERAPIES COULD PROVIDE
NOVEL DREAKTHROUGHS TO FIGHT CAHCER
In 1993. there were no gene therapies in human testing in the war against cancer. In 1995. there are 9
of them. With gene therapy, scientists can deal with the precise mechanisms of cancer and target
medicines to specific types of the disease.
10
1995
1993
▲ H U M E R OF GENE THERAPIES IH DEVELOPMENT
by J ohn F. B eary , III M.D.
The fight against cancer has tak­
en some novel twists and turns as
researchers seek to develop better
drugs.
Scientists, for example, are ex­
perimenting with light that activates
new medicines only after the drugs
reach cancerous cells in the body.
Damage to healthy tissue can be
avoided.
Researchers are also develop­
ing cancer vaccines that involve in­
jecting dead cancerous cells into pa­
tients to stimulate the body’s im­
mune system to fight the disease
The research community is even
trying to “starve” tumors by cutting
o ff their blood supply. And it is de­
veloping pharmaceuticals that train
the body’s immune system to recog­
nize and attack cancer cells. Drugs
known as interferons or interleukins
can activate the body’s white blood
C o u n ty , C a s e y
B o n d s T o H e lp
cells to kill cancerous growths.
Pharmaceutical research com­
panies and the National Cancer Insti­
tute are exploring a wide variety of
innovative ways to win the war against
cancer It is a formidable task: though
progress had been made, cancer is
expected to kill nearly 550,000 Amer­
icans this year.
The 98 pharmaceutical research
companies involved in the effort are
investing billions of dollars to re­
search and develop 215 new medi­
cines for 20 types o f the fatal disease.
About 80 o f the new cancer medi­
cines are in the final phase o f human
testing, and another 20 are awaiting
final review by the Food and Drug
Administration.
These 100 medicines are for
bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast
cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer,
leukemia, liver cancer, lung cancer
and others.
Information on all o f the 215
cancer medicines now being devel­
oped in the U.S. is available in a new
PhRMA publication called “New
Medicines in Development for Can­
cer.” To get free copies, write to the
Editor, “Medicines in Development,”
Communications Division, 1100 15th
Street, N W W ashington, D.C. 20005.
A g r e e O n H e a lth
S e r v ic e s
P a tie n ts
Oregon Treasurer J im H i 11 has
finalized the issuance o f $2 mil­
lion in state financing to build a
40-unit Assisted Living Facility
for low-income individuals suf­
fering from Alzheimer’s disease
and related disorders.
The Assisted Living Facility
will be an expansion at St. Aidan’s
Place in Gresham.
“I am proud o f our role in
helping St. Aidan’s Place move
forward with the unique and im­
portant facility,” Hill said. “All
Oregonians can be proud o f this
project.
The facdity is intended to
greatly benefit Oregonians suffer­
ing from Alzheimer’s who are fi­
nancially unable to care for them­
selves.
The state issued $2 million in
tax-exempt bonds to finance the
facility. The tax-exempt feature o f
the bonds provides non-profit or­
ganizations the opportunity to sub­
stantially reduce borrowing costs.
St. A idan ’ s is a non-profit cor
p o ra tio n a sso c ia te d w ith St
Aidan’s Episcopal Church o f Gre
sham, but accepts residents o f any
religious denomination or beliefs.
The Multnomah County Depart­
ment o f Community and Family Ser­
vices and Casey Family Programs, a
private non-profit agency, have
signed an agreement for mental health
services for children.
The idea o f a partnership, to
provide behavioral health services to
children, developed six years ago.
A grant from the Robert Wood
Johnson foundation helped finance a
pilot program aimed at helping emo­
tionally disturbed children, using
money from a number o f sources,
including the Children Services Di­
vision and Portland public schools.
After nearly 18 months of nego­
tiations between the county and
Casey, a contract was written to ad­
vance the county’s goal o f improving
access to behavioral health services,
county officials said.
“The collaboration between pub-
lic and private sector agencies is one
o f the cornerstones of Multnomah
County’s concept o f good govern­
ment This particular public/private
partnership is unique as the first o f its
kind in delivering services to emo­
tionally disturbed children and ado­
lescents,” said Beverly Stein, Mult­
nomah County chairperson.
Avoiding the Threat of High Blood Pressure
by
J ames W. R eed , M.D.
High blood pressure or hyper­
tension afflicts one out o f four Afri­
can Americans. It occurs earlier in
life among African Americans, is
more severe and is less likely to be
treated adequately or early enough to
prevent fatal health disorders.
W heth er y o u ’re an A frican
American man or woman, the only
way to know if you have high blood
pressure is to check your blood pres­
sure regularly. Even if you look and
feel fine, you can have blood pres­
sure high enough to surprise you in
the form o f a stroke, heart attack,
kidney failure or even blindness.
Hypertension usually has no symp­
toms - that is why many call it the
“silent killer.”
The cause o f high blood pres­
sure is still unknown. It's believed to
be caused by one or a combination o f
these common lifestyle behaviors,
too much salt in the diet, too much
stress, too much weight, and too much
alcohol.
African American females are
more likely to have their high blood
pressure treated and controlled than
black or white males, yet the preva
lence o f high blood pressure among
Black women is beginning to exceed
that o f men. And more than three
times as many Black women as white
women age 35-44 have the disease.
Since high blood pressure is a
critical problem within the Black
community, it’s important for you to
know the consequences o f untreated
high blood pressure are preventable.
With proper diet, lifestyle changes
and medications, you can control high
blood pressure.
For example: eat healthy, re­
duce stress, drink less alcohol and
visit your doctor regularly to monitor
your blood pressure.
In large-scale studies, it has been
shown that a greater percentage of
African Americans are able to con­
trol their hypertension with pharma­
ceutical therapies such as calcium
channel blocker or diuretics. Other
categories ofhypertension treatments
which may also control your blood
pressure are beta-blockers, ACE in­
hibitors, alpha blockers, central
agents and vasodilator. Your doctor
selects the best medication for you
from the various drug categories
based on the drug’s effectiveness in
controlling your blood pressure, any
existing medical conditions and po­
tential drug side effects.
I f y o u ’re at risk, have your
blood pressure checked every few
m onths and discu ss hyp erten sio n
tre a tm e n t o p tio n s w ith yo u r d o c ­
tor. M ed icatio n s for tre a tm e n t o f
high blood pressu re vary, but one
th in g rem ains the sam e -- m ed i­
cine only w orks if you take it.
U n fo rtu n a te ly B la c k m en are
w ell-know n for not seeking prop-
er d ia g n o sis and su sta in in g tre a t­
m ent. A bout h a lf o f B lack men
being treated for high blood p re s­
sure drop out o f tre a tm e n t in the
first year.
Being an educated consumer in
terms o f selecting blood pressure ther­
apy will come in handy when asking
your doctor about high quality, low
cost alternatives. There are newer
once-a-day formulations o f medica­
tions available, which are priced up
to 25% less than others. Being aware
ofyour alternatives may produce sav-
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