Alliance Could Pave Way for New Therapies
HOUSTON and WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and AstraZeneca (NYSE:
AZN) today announced that they will collaborate to help advance
understanding of neuropathic pain caused by cancer chemotherapy, a side
effect that often limits optimal therapeutic dosing in cancer treatments.
The new alliance will focus on identifying neurobiological differences
between cancer patients who develop chemotherapy-induced pain and patients
who experience little or no pain. Scientists at M. D. Anderson and
AstraZeneca hope to better understand the mechanisms through which
chemotherapies cause peripheral nerve dysfunctions, such as numbness and
tingling, and severe pain. Research could lead to new treatments to prevent
pain -- extending the therapeutic value of current chemotherapies -- as
well as help in the development of new chemotherapies with less severe
pain-related side effects.
"Our collaboration with AstraZeneca addresses a critical need in cancer
care, which is improving the quality of life of cancer patients," said Dr.
Charles Cleeland, chair of M. D. Anderson's Department of Symptom Research.
M. D. Anderson and AstraZeneca have ongoing collaborations focused on a
variety of initiatives across a range of AstraZeneca oncology products and
research projects. This new agreement will extend that relationship to
examine one of the most prevalent symptoms in cancer patients. One study
found that pain affects up to 50 percent of patients undergoing active
cancer treatment and up to 90 percent of those with advanced disease.
(1)(2)
"Our experience in establishing a strategic alliance in 2006 to
accelerate the evaluation and approval of anti-cancer drugs can now be
extended to more effective supportive care for cancer patients and
individuals with other diseases," said Dr. Robert Bast, Vice President of
Translational Research at M. D. Anderson.
"We are excited to begin this collaboration with M. D. Anderson, which
is at the forefront of discovering new ways of assessing and addressing
pain symptoms associated with cancer treatment," said Bob Holland, Vice
President for Neuroscience at AstraZeneca. "We hope the insights we gain
from this alliance will ultimately lead to new treatment options that will
improve the quality of life for cancer patients."
"We are hopeful that the knowledge gained from this collaboration will
enable us to design and validate new pain research models that can then be
used to effectively test novel therapies in a preclinical setting," said
Andy Dray, Chief Scientist in the CNS and Pain Research Area at
AstraZeneca.
This is the third of several planned new alliances by AstraZeneca with
leading academic and research institutions to address unmet medical needs
through cutting-edge research across several disease areas, including
Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain and psychiatric illnesses. These proposed
new agreements complement existing AstraZeneca US-based alliances in
neuroscience and other key therapeutic areas with world-class institutions.
Cancer-related pain symptoms will be a key area of focus at a
conference beginning today and sponsored by M. D. Anderson titled
"Mechanisms and Treatment of Cancer-Related Symptoms." The conference,
scheduled for January 24-26, will examine the relationships among pain,
fatigue, sleep disturbance, cognitive dysfunction, and nausea/vomiting, and
will explore the potential common mechanisms of these symptoms.
(1) Portenoy RK, Thaler HT, Kornblith AB, et al. Symptom prevalence,
characteristics and distress in a cancer population. Qual Life Res.
1994;3:183-189.
(2) Cleeland CS, Gonin R, Hatfield AK, et al. Pain and its treatment in
outpatients with metastatic cancer. N Engl J Med. 1994;330:592-596.
About the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks
as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient
care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of only 39
Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute.
For five of the past eight years, M. D. Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer
care in "America's Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S.
News and World Report.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the
research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription
pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the
world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47
billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,
neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is
listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the
FTSE4Good Index.
In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare
business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades,
AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its
medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in
savings to more than 1 million patients throughout the U.S. and Puerto
Rico. AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working
Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical
company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to
Work For." In 2006, for the fifth consecutive year, Science magazine named
AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected
biopharmaceutical employers.
For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit:
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com
SOURCE AstraZeneca
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Related links:
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/985887.html /
CONTACT:
Michael Keegan (AZ), +1-781-839-4335,
michael.keegan@AstraZeneca.com; or Scott Merville (MDA),
+1-713-792-0661, sdmervil@mdanderson.org
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