Asbestos Disease Awareness Organizaton

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2004--The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization dedicated to serving as the voice of asbestos victims, today launched the ADAO Coalition for Asbestos Awareness, in honor of the anniversary of the passing of Warren Zevon on September 7, 2003. The ADAO Coalition for Asbestos Awareness has established an online petition at http://www.gopetition.com/online/5020.html to easily unite concerned citizens about asbestos, a hazardous and lethal material. Coalition members are expected to include individuals and organizations representing numerous professions including high risk groups like: veterans, shipbuilders, firefighters, teachers, labors, and retirees; as well as physicians specializing in Pulmonology, Radiology, Thoracic Surgery and Oncology.

The Coalition's goals include:

-- Unite concerned citizens.

-- Alert citizens commonly exposed to asbestos.

-- Educate the medical community.

-- Advise legislators on asbestos issues.

-- Increase funding for new treatments and a cure.

-- Support safe and effective asbestos removal.

-- Support Senate Bill 1115 to ban asbestos.

"Ignorance about asbestos isn't bliss," said Jordan Zevon, ADAO National Spokesperson, "it's deadly."

Asbestos exposure is linked to asbestosis, lung cancer, and an aggressive cancer called mesothelioma. Tragically, the latency period is between 10 - 50 years for most asbestos related diseases and patients are routinely diagnosed in the late stages of disease.

"Unknowingly, many innocent people have been occupationally or environmentally exposed to asbestos and know little about the early warning symptoms of asbestos related diseases," said Linda Reinstein, Executive Director, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. "It's time the nation supports asbestos awareness. The Coalition's powerful proactive and collaborative effort will lead to prevention, early diagnosis, new treatments and a cure. "

The occurrence of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, is growing out of control. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 victims in the United States will die of an asbestos related disease - equaling 30 deaths per day.

About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families. We seek to give asbestos victims a united voice to help ensure that our rights are fairly represented and protected. This includes our right to medical research and treatments aimed at early detection, prevention and a cure for asbestos related diseases; our right to file suit based on the merits of our individual asbestos related injustice; and the right to fair compensation. As an independent organization, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization will not be influenced by outside sources such as drug companies, law firms or companies that manufacture or use asbestos. ADAO is fully funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.


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LA Housing Authority Fined: Asbestos Violations

AQMD ISSUES ASBESTOS VIOLATION TO LA HOUSING AUTHORITY

July 14, 2004

The Southland’s air quality agency has issued a violation to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles for improper handling and removal of asbestos during a city renovation project.

A sample taken from the project site and analyzed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District confirmed the presence of asbestos in floor tile debris.

“AQMD’s asbestos regulation is designed to protect communities from asbestos contamination,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.  “Not following proper guidelines for asbestos removal may put the public at risk.”

AQMD inspectors issued a notice of violation to the Housing Authority on July 7 for several violations of AQMD’s asbestos rule, including failure to:

  • survey for the presence of asbestos before starting the project;
  • follow required asbestos removal procedures; and
  • provide proper training certification for project workers.

The violation notice was issued for a renovation project in an apartment unit at 1303 Magdalena St. in Los Angeles.

The AQMD is now investigating similar projects conducted by the Housing Authority, and has requested additional information from the city as part of the investigation.

Asbestos was used until the 1980s in some building materials including roofs, floor tiles, acoustic ceilings, insulation, sound-proofing, cement pipes, heating ducts, pipe covering and other materials. 

When left in place, asbestos in building materials typically does not pose a hazard.  When disturbed by demolition or renovation activity, asbestos fibers can become airborne.  Asbestos is a toxic air contaminant and is known to cause lung cancer and other lung diseases.

AQMD’s Rule 1403 – Asbestos Emissions from Demolition/Renovation Activities, is designed to protect public health by preventing hazardous levels of asbestos from being released.  The rule has a number of requirements to safeguard against asbestos contamination, including:

  • a facility survey to determine the presence of asbestos prior to demolition and renovation activities;
  • notification to the AQMD of any such activity;
  • specified guidelines and procedures for properly handling and removing asbestos; and
  • recordkeeping of all such activities.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

-#-

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Pemetrexed (Alimta) effect on Mesothelioma


Accelerated Approval Results in Second U.S. Indication in Six Months for Alimta

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Eli Lilly and Company's (NYSE: LLY) anti-cancer drug Alimta(R) (pronounced: "uh-LIMB-ta") received its second U.S. approval in 2004. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Alimta for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in previously treated patients. In February, Alimta was approved, in combination with cisplatin (a common chemotherapy agent), for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer often associated with asbestos exposure.

"Alimta's development is a demonstration of our commitment to patients with cancer and is testament to our emergence as a leader in oncology," said Sidney Taurel, Lilly's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "With the advances we are making -- and will continue to make -- via our existing and future oncology products, we are confident that Lilly will emerge as one of the premier oncology companies in the world."

Over the past decade, lung cancer rates have continued to rise and now the disease is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 174,000 individuals in the U.S. are diagnosed with lung cancer each year.

Fortunately, developments in chemotherapy, including Lilly's Gemzar(R) (gemcitabine, HCl), are helping an increasing number of patients to live longer after initial treatment, or first-line therapy. But, due to the aggressive nature of lung cancer, the disease recurs in the majority of patients and only 40,000 to 50,000 are well enough to tolerate treatment in the second-line setting. Patients treated with the current standard of care in the second-line setting, Taxotere(R) (docetaxel), usually experience severe toxic side effects such as neutropenia (a decrease in infection fighting white blood cells), neutropenia with fever and diarrhea, as well as hair loss.

Alimta is an antifolate that simultaneously blocks three separate enzyme targets vital to the survival of cancer cells. Alimta's administration includes vitamin supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B12. A team of researchers led by Lilly discovered that this vitamin regimen significantly reduces the drug's side effects without negatively impacting its ability to kill cancer cells. The administration cycle for Alimta is a 10-minute infusion, once every three weeks.

"Alimta represents a medical advance in the treatment of lung cancer," said Paul Bunn, M.D., director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. "The benefits Alimta offers patients are clear; it is much better tolerated than the current standard; and is conveniently administered."

Paolo Paoletti, vice president of oncology clinical research at Lilly said, "Alimta represents a true breakthrough in cancer care and is pushing the boundaries of conventional therapies by demonstrating a good response rate, while maintaining reduced toxicity via vitamin supplementation."

The FDA accelerated approval is based on Alimta's activity and favorable safety profile as evidenced in one of the largest Phase III studies to date in the second-line setting that compared Alimta directly to Taxotere. In July, the study was the basis for a unanimous recommendation for accelerated approval by the FDA's Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee.

Alimta's approval was based on the drug's ability to reduce tumor size (response rate) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

The FDA also cited Alimta's significantly improved safety profile as compared to Taxotere as a supporting basis for approval. Patients on Alimta also experienced less Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (a decrease in infection- fighting white blood cell counts); less neutropenia with fever; less diarrhea; fewer hospitalizations due to adverse events and less hair loss. As with all chemotherapy agents, patients on Alimta and Taxotere experienced low-blood cell counts. Patients treated with Alimta experienced higher rates of Grade 3 or 4 Alanine Transaminase (ALT), a laboratory measurement of liver function. Some of the most common Grade 3 or 4 toxicities associated with Alimta (regardless of causality) include anemia (8 percent vs. 7 percent for Taxotere); fatigue (16 percent vs. 17 percent for Taxotere); anorexia (5 percent vs. 8 percent for Taxotere); and infection without neutropenia (6 percent vs. 4 percent for Taxotere).

In accordance with the FDA's accelerated approval, Lilly will continue to gather data for Alimta in non-small cell lung cancer.

Alimta's approval in second-line non-small cell lung cancer is the latest in a series of research advances by Lilly Oncology this year:

  • In February, Alimta, with cisplatin, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

  • In June, the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion for a dual indication for Alimta. The opinion recommends approval of single-agent Alimta for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after prior chemotherapy and in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma in patients who have not received prior chemotherapy.

  • In June, the FDA approved Gemzar, in combination with Taxol(R) (paclitaxel), for the front-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer, which strikes 55,000 women annually in the U.S. Gemzar's breast cancer indication marks its third U.S. approval. Gemzar is also approved for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and, in combination with cisplatin, for the first- line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic lung cancer.

  • Several European countries approved Gemzar, in combination with carboplatin, for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Lilly's Gemzar is also approved in Europe under national licenses either as a single-agent or combination agent for the treatment of pancreatic, bladder and first-line non-small cell lung cancers. Gemzar, in combination with paclitaxel, is approved in most European countries in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

For full prescribing information on Alimta and Gemzar, please go to http://www.lillyoncology.com

About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com .


About Lilly Oncology

Lilly Oncology, a division of Eli Lilly and Company, is a world leader in cancer research and treatment, with therapies that are considered a standard of care in a number of difficult-to-treat tumor types built upon a vibrant and cutting edge research platform driving therapeutic innovation. Lilly Oncology is committed to delivering realistic solutions to physicians, patients and payers that materially improve the course of cancer care. With a promising pipeline of innovative products built on strong scientific foundations, Lilly strives to continually find ways to offer hope in the way of answers for patients.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the potential of Alimta for the treatment of second-line non-small cell lung cancer and reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. There is no guarantee that the product will prove to be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

Alimta(R) (pemetrexed, Lilly)
Gemzar(R) (gemcitabine HCl, Lilly)
Taxotere(R) (docetaxel, Aventis)
Taxol(R) (paclitaxel, Bristol-Myers Squibb)

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Proposed Asbestos Legislation

Proposed Asbestos Legislation Will Harm Asbestos Victims
Proposed Asbestos Legislation Favors Companies- Not Asbestos Victims.

( EMAILWIRE.COM, July 19, 2004 )  

Mesothelioma Advisor has released a new report on proposed legislation that will negatively impact asbestos victims, available at http://www.mesothelioma-advisor.org/article-1.php . The article was written by Eric N. Scholnick, Attorney at Law.


It has recently been reported, in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, among others, that thousands of allegedly unimpaired individuals are filing asbestos personal injury lawsuits. These news reports state that these asbestos claims may threaten the financial well-being of numerous large corporations. Corporate and insurance company officials are quoted on the need for federal legislation, to control asbestos cases. In their words, they want to make sure money goes to those who are truly sick.


It is important to see the big lie behind these news stories.


Persons who have suffered a detriment at the hands of another are entitled to seek redress in our courts. There has never been a requirement that persons be impaired or disabled in order to seek redress; it is enough that they are injured. The presence of greatly elevated levels of asbestos fibers in one’s lungs is clearly a detriment. Most persons who have never been heavily exposed to asbestos would never trade lungs with a Navy veteran, even if that Navy veteran had not yet suffered an impairment or disability. Asbestos-exposed individuals have a far greater risk of developing mesothelioma (a cancer of the lung or stomach lining), lung cancer, or asbestosis later in life. It should be left to juries to decide if the presence of those fibers constitutes an injury under the law.


Access to our judicial system is an important right; the judicial system protects Americans from large corporations who sell unsafe products, and conceal the dangers of those products from the public.

Instead, the large corporations which brought the asbestos nightmare upon us, and their insurance companies, now seek federal legislation, to restrict access to, or take the place of, the American jury system. The legislation which has thus far been proposed would appoint a board of review, and make it mandatory that any asbestos case be reviewed by the board to determine if any individual had a right to compensation. All cases would be delayed, so that some claimants would die before their cases could be reviewed, and most cases would be rejected.


Read more at the Mesothelioma Advisor ( http://www.mesothelioma-advisor.org/ ) The Web site contains informative articles on topics such as mesothelioma treatments, symptoms, palliative care and more.



The Mesothelioma Advisor is sponsored by the Law Firm of Lewis & Scholnick ( http://www.lsasbestoslaw.com/ ) Visit the Mesothelioma Advisor at http://www.mesothelioma-advisor.org/ .

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Ohio Company Indicted for Illegal Asbestos Removal

WASHINGTON, June 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is from the Weekly Enforcement Wrap-Up from the Environmental Protection Agency:

President of Ohio Company Indicted for Illegal Asbestos Removal

Brett B. Pomeroy, President of Nelson Bedding Products, Inc., in Youngstown, Ohio, was indicted on June 9 for allegedly removing asbestos illegally, and failing to properly dispose of removed asbestos. The defendant allegedly directed an individual to illegally remove the asbestos from the Nelson Building's basement in Youngstown, while the plant was in operation and people were working elsewhere in the building. Improperly removing asbestos can cause workers and other people entering the work area to inhale airborne asbestos fibers, which is a known cause of lung cancer, the lung disease "asbestosis," and mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. The case was investigated by the Cleveland Area Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Mahonig/Trumbull County Air Pollution Control Agency. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until convicted in a court of law.

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Asbestos Exposure During Off-Road Recreation

 
ASBESTOS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE CLEAR CREEK, CALIF. BLM MANAGEMENT AREA

What is Asbestos?

  • Asbestos is a group of six different fibrous minerals which occur naturally in soil and rock in some areas.
  • Asbestos fibers are hard to see with the naked eye.
  • Chrysotile asbestos is the main type found in the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA).
  • Asbestos fibers are resistant to heat and have been used in a variety of man-made products for insulation and heat-resistance.
  • Asbestos fibers are very tough and stay in the same harmful form in the environment for a long time. 

Why is there Asbestos in CCMA?

  • CCMA is located on a formation of naturally occurring serpentine rock and soil which contains high concentrations of asbestos
  • Asbestos mining activities in the area also contributed to the asbestos at CCMA
  • In areas where there is naturally occurring asbestos from serpentine rock, the percentages of asbestos in the soil range from 1% to as much as 50% in areas where asbestos has been mined. 

Why does Asbestos enter the environment?

  • During geological processes, the crushing of serpentine rock results in asbestos which is more readily available to the environment.
  • The mining industry and roads built to support the mining have broken up the asbestos causing it to disperse.
  • Asbestos fibers are also dispersed in the environment by wind and water.
  • Asbestos fibers stay suspended in the air for lengthy periods but ultimately settle onto the soil.

How does Asbestos get into my body?

  • Asbestos fibers in the air can get into your lungs when you breathe.
  • Asbestos fibers that get into your mouth can be swallowed into the stomach.
  • Asbestos fibers are not likely to penetrate the skin.

How might my family or I be exposed to Asbestos while visiting CCMA?

  • If you ride dirt bikes or motorcycles, camp, hunt , or hunt for rocks, you can be exposed to asbestos fibers on dusty trails, especially during the dry season.
  • Because motorcycles raise considerable dust, if you watch motorcycle races, you may inhale asbestos fibers.
  • If you are camping, especially in dry, dusty areas, you could be exposed to asbestos fibers which are in the air, dust and soil in the camping areas.
  • Water in the creeks in CCMA may contain asbestos fibers and heavy metals.
  • Asbestos fibers in dust and mud from CCMA can remain on your clothes and vehicles when you leave CCMA.

How much Asbestos is too much?

  • Low levels of asbestos are not likely to be harmful to your health.
  • Asbestos is measured by the number of fibers(f) that are present in a cubic centimeter (cc) of outdoor air, or f/cc.
  • Asbestos fiber levels are monitored by the BLM.  For an up-to-date summary of the fiber readings, click here. 

You can find out the concentration of asbestos in the outdoor air at CCMA by calling the Clear Creek Hotline at (831) 630-5060

You will hear the latest recorded information about the airborne asbestos concentrations and weather conditions. If you would like clarification about the meaning of the asbestos reading, call the Hollister Office of the Bureau of Land Management at (831) 630-5000.

How could Asbestos affect my health?

Most of the information on the health effects of asbestos in humans comes from studies of people who were regularly exposed to high levels of asbestos in the workplace. Any exposure to asbestos involves some risk, but for people who are exposed to low levels of asbestos for short periods the risk should be minimal.

However, asbestos has been known to cause cancer in humans who have been exposed to high levels on a regular basis. The two most common cancers found in these situations are lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining that surrounds the lung and stomach.

Smoking and Asbestos Exposure

Smoking cigarettes dramatically increases the chance of getting lung cancer from asbestos exposure.

The non-cancer health effect most commonly associated with high levels of asbestos exposure is asbestosis which is scarring of the lung tissue.

  • If you have asbestosis, your lungs cannot expand or contract like normal lungs, which makes it difficult to breathe.
  • Asbestosis is only seen in people who received regular, high level exposure to asbestos.
  • Both cancer and asbestosis can take twenty to thirty years or more to develop after exposure.

Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed to Asbestos?

There area no tests to determine effects from low level asbestos exposure.

  • Chest X-rays are only useful for identifying damage from exposure to asbestos from much higher exposure than you would receive from a visit to CCMA.
  • Because asbestos-related diseases take many years to develop, effects from recent, low dose exposure cannot be seen on a chest x-ray.
     

Precautions to take when visiting CCMA

  • Avoid areas where it is dusty or windy.
  • Never drink the water from the streams or springs.
  • Wash any vehicle that has been used at CCMA before returning home.
  • Wash clothing worn at CCMA separately from you other clothes.
  • If digging in dry dirt, try to minimize the amount of dust that is distributed.
  • Do not ride Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) around the campground. They create dust.
  • If riding an OHV in a group, spread out along the trail, and don't ride in another rider's dust.

Before visiting CCMA

Call the Hotline at (831) 630-5060 to get recorded information about airborne asbestos concentrations and weather conditions. If the weather is hot, dry and dusty, avoid CCMA. If you would like clarification about the meaning of the asbestos fiber reading, call the Hollister Office of the Bureau of Land Management at (831) 630-5000.

 

For further information

Call  the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at (415) 744-1730, or leave a message on EPA's toll free line: (800) 231-3075.

 

Information provided by:

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ATSDR, Agency for toxic substances and disease registry
California Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Investigations Branch

 

Bureau
of Land Management

Hollister Field Office

20 Hamilton Court

Hollister, CA 95023

Phone: (831) 630-5000

Fax: (831) 630-5055

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Mesothelioma help center

Mesothelioma Drug Veglin Success



Contact: Jon Weiner

jonweine@usc.edu

323-442-2830

University of Southern California


USC/Norris Cancer researchers show potential of fighting angiogenesis

Phase I trial shows experimental drug is safe and lowers level of key blood protein

NEW ORLEANS (June 7, 2004) -Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California researchers have reported that the antiangiogenesis drug they developed-called Veglin-not only is safe for patients with a wide variety of cancers, but also lowers levels of a key protein that tumors need to grow and stabilizes or even reverses some cancers for a period.

Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chief of hematology at the Keck School of Medicine and medical director of the USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, presented results from the ongoing Veglin trial at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology today.

"Veglin continues to show its safety, even though we've escalated the dose significantly. Blood levels of key enzymes we are targeting also have gone down in a fair number of cases, and we are pleased so far," says Levine, the Ronald H. Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma at the Keck School.

Veglin originated with USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Parkash Gill, M.D., Keck School professor of medicine. Los Angeles, Calif.-based VasGene Therapeutics Inc., which was co-founded by Gill, now leads its development.

In 2003, a team of USC/Norris scientists opened a phase I trial of Veglin for patients with any malignancy that failed to respond to previous treatment. The study evaluates the safety of the drug at increasing doses and examines response. So far, researchers have increased the dosage tenfold, with no significant toxic side effects seen.

Nearly three quarters of the 35 patients who have participated in the clinical trial so far have had solid tumors of the kidneys, colon or lung, or cancers such as melanoma or sarcoma. More than a quarter of the patients have had hematologic cancers, such as lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and myeloma.

Veglin clinically and visibly reduced cancerous tissue for several months in cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, researchers reported. Patients with lymphoma, bronchoalveolar carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, multiple myeloma and chondrosarcoma also saw disease stabilization or other clinical benefits from the drug.

The drug targets a family of proteins called vascular endothelial growth factors, or VEGF.

Cancer cells develop rapidly and need an ever-increasing blood supply, researchers explain. As a result, tumors must encourage new blood vessels to develop around them-a process called angiogenesis. VEGF is critical to the growth of these new blood vessels.

But that is not all. VEGF also directly helps certain cancers grow.

"VEGF serves as an autocrine growth factor for certain types of cancers," Levine says. "The analogy would be the following: If a car were able to make its own gasoline, it would drive forever. The gasoline for the cancer cell is VEGF; it is made by the cancer cell, and comes back to work on the cancer cell that made it, causing the cancer cell to divide and proliferate."

Veglin is meant to counteract that. Called an antisense oligonucleotide, Veglin is a bit of DNA that binds directly to the gene that produces VEGF-essentially plugging it.

Researchers hope that if Veglin can keep tumor cells from producing VEGF, it will block their growth and metastasis, while also killing the cancer cells themselves.

Patients in the trial receive Veglin intravenously over two hours, for five straight days. They then get a week off. This cycle continues for four months.

Veglin lowered blood levels of a form of VEGF, called VEGF-A, in 47 percent of participants. It also lowered levels of VEGF-C in 21 percent of participants.

In addition to Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients, whose cancer growth was reversed for several months, other patients saw clinical benefits, too. Veglin stabilized cancer levels in patients with renal cell cancer for two or more months, chondrosarcoma for five months and bronchoalveolar carcinoma for more than seven months.

"We have seen tumor shrinkage and stabilization in diverse disease types. These are good indications for a single agent," Levine says. "In the future, optimally we would combine it with other drugs."

Researchers are now planning phase II clinical trials for patients with renal cell carcinoma, mesothelioma, leukemia and lymphoma. Studies will initially begin at USC/Norris, with additional centers added later.

###

Alexandra M. Levine, David I. Quinn, Gerry Gorospe, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Anil Tulpule and Parkash S. Gill, "Phase I Trial of Antisense Oligonucleotide against Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-AS, Veglin) in Relapsed and Refractory Malignancies," 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, New Orleans, La., June 3-8, 2004.


Contact: Jon Weiner
jonweine@usc.edu
323-442-2830
University of Southern California


USC/Norris Cancer researchers show potential of fighting angiogenesis

Phase I trial shows experimental drug is safe and lowers level of key blood protein

NEW ORLEANS (June 7, 2004) -Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California researchers have reported that the antiangiogenesis drug they developed-called Veglin-not only is safe for patients with a wide variety of cancers, but also lowers levels of a key protein that tumors need to grow and stabilizes or even reverses some cancers for a period.

Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chief of hematology at the Keck School of Medicine and medical director of the USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, presented results from the ongoing Veglin trial at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology today.

"Veglin continues to show its safety, even though we've escalated the dose significantly. Blood levels of key enzymes we are targeting also have gone down in a fair number of cases, and we are pleased so far," says Levine, the Ronald H. Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma at the Keck School.

Veglin originated with USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Parkash Gill, M.D., Keck School professor of medicine. Los Angeles, Calif.-based VasGene Therapeutics Inc., which was co-founded by Gill, now leads its development.

In 2003, a team of USC/Norris scientists opened a phase I trial of Veglin for patients with any malignancy that failed to respond to previous treatment. The study evaluates the safety of the drug at increasing doses and examines response. So far, researchers have increased the dosage tenfold, with no significant toxic side effects seen.

Nearly three quarters of the 35 patients who have participated in the clinical trial so far have had solid tumors of the kidneys, colon or lung, or cancers such as melanoma or sarcoma. More than a quarter of the patients have had hematologic cancers, such as lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and myeloma.

Veglin clinically and visibly reduced cancerous tissue for several months in cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, researchers reported. Patients with lymphoma, bronchoalveolar carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, multiple myeloma and chondrosarcoma also saw disease stabilization or other clinical benefits from the drug.

The drug targets a family of proteins called vascular endothelial growth factors, or VEGF.

Cancer cells develop rapidly and need an ever-increasing blood supply, researchers explain. As a result, tumors must encourage new blood vessels to develop around them-a process called angiogenesis. VEGF is critical to the growth of these new blood vessels.

But that is not all. VEGF also directly helps certain cancers grow.

"VEGF serves as an autocrine growth factor for certain types of cancers," Levine says. "The analogy would be the following: If a car were able to make its own gasoline, it would drive forever. The gasoline for the cancer cell is VEGF; it is made by the cancer cell, and comes back to work on the cancer cell that made it, causing the cancer cell to divide and proliferate."

Veglin is meant to counteract that. Called an antisense oligonucleotide, Veglin is a bit of DNA that binds directly to the gene that produces VEGF-essentially plugging it.

Researchers hope that if Veglin can keep tumor cells from producing VEGF, it will block their growth and metastasis, while also killing the cancer cells themselves.

Patients in the trial receive Veglin intravenously over two hours, for five straight days. They then get a week off. This cycle continues for four months.

Veglin lowered blood levels of a form of VEGF, called VEGF-A, in 47 percent of participants. It also lowered levels of VEGF-C in 21 percent of participants.

In addition to Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients, whose cancer growth was reversed for several months, other patients saw clinical benefits, too. Veglin stabilized cancer levels in patients with renal cell cancer for two or more months, chondrosarcoma for five months and bronchoalveolar carcinoma for more than seven months.

"We have seen tumor shrinkage and stabilization in diverse disease types. These are good indications for a single agent," Levine says. "In the future, optimally we would combine it with other drugs."

Researchers are now planning phase II clinical trials for patients with renal cell carcinoma, mesothelioma, leukemia and lymphoma. Studies will initially begin at USC/Norris, with additional centers added later.

###

Alexandra M. Levine, David I. Quinn, Gerry Gorospe, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Anil Tulpule and Parkash S. Gill, "Phase I Trial of Antisense Oligonucleotide against Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-AS, Veglin) in Relapsed and Refractory Malignancies," 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, New Orleans, La., June 3-8, 2004.



Contact: Jon Weiner

jonweine@usc.edu

323-442-2830

University of Southern California


USC/Norris Cancer researchers show potential of fighting angiogenesis

Phase I trial shows experimental drug is safe and lowers level of key blood protein

NEW ORLEANS (June 7, 2004) -Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California researchers have reported that the antiangiogenesis drug they developed-called Veglin-not only is safe for patients with a wide variety of cancers, but also lowers levels of a key protein that tumors need to grow and stabilizes or even reverses some cancers for a period.

Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chief of hematology at the Keck School of Medicine and medical director of the USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, presented results from the ongoing Veglin trial at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology today.

"Veglin continues to show its safety, even though we've escalated the dose significantly. Blood levels of key enzymes we are targeting also have gone down in a fair number of cases, and we are pleased so far," says Levine, the Ronald H. Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma at the Keck School.

Veglin originated with USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Parkash Gill, M.D., Keck School professor of medicine. Los Angeles, Calif.-based VasGene Therapeutics Inc., which was co-founded by Gill, now leads its development.

In 2003, a team of USC/Norris scientists opened a phase I trial of Veglin for patients with any malignancy that failed to respond to previous treatment. The study evaluates the safety of the drug at increasing doses and examines response. So far, researchers have increased the dosage tenfold, with no significant toxic side effects seen.

Nearly three quarters of the 35 patients who have participated in the clinical trial so far have had solid tumors of the kidneys, colon or lung, or cancers such as melanoma or sarcoma. More than a quarter of the patients have had hematologic cancers, such as lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and myeloma.

Veglin clinically and visibly reduced cancerous tissue for several months in cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, researchers reported. Patients with lymphoma, bronchoalveolar carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, multiple myeloma and chondrosarcoma also saw disease stabilization or other clinical benefits from the drug.

The drug targets a family of proteins called vascular endothelial growth factors, or VEGF.

Cancer cells develop rapidly and need an ever-increasing blood supply, researchers explain. As a result, tumors must encourage new blood vessels to develop around them-a process called angiogenesis. VEGF is critical to the growth of these new blood vessels.

But that is not all. VEGF also directly helps certain cancers grow.

"VEGF serves as an autocrine growth factor for certain types of cancers," Levine says. "The analogy would be the following: If a car were able to make its own gasoline, it would drive forever. The gasoline for the cancer cell is VEGF; it is made by the cancer cell, and comes back to work on the cancer cell that made it, causing the cancer cell to divide and proliferate."

Veglin is meant to counteract that. Called an antisense oligonucleotide, Veglin is a bit of DNA that binds directly to the gene that produces VEGF-essentially plugging it.

Researchers hope that if Veglin can keep tumor cells from producing VEGF, it will block their growth and metastasis, while also killing the cancer cells themselves.

Patients in the trial receive Veglin intravenously over two hours, for five straight days. They then get a week off. This cycle continues for four months.

Veglin lowered blood levels of a form of VEGF, called VEGF-A, in 47 percent of participants. It also lowered levels of VEGF-C in 21 percent of participants.

In addition to Kaposi's sarcoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients, whose cancer growth was reversed for several months, other patients saw clinical benefits, too. Veglin stabilized cancer levels in patients with renal cell cancer for two or more months, chondrosarcoma for five months and bronchoalveolar carcinoma for more than seven months.

"We have seen tumor shrinkage and stabilization in diverse disease types. These are good indications for a single agent," Levine says. "In the future, optimally we would combine it with other drugs."

Researchers are now planning phase II clinical trials for patients with renal cell carcinoma, mesothelioma, leukemia and lymphoma. Studies will initially begin at USC/Norris, with additional centers added later.

###

Alexandra M. Levine, David I. Quinn, Gerry Gorospe, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Anil Tulpule and Parkash S. Gill, "Phase I Trial of Antisense Oligonucleotide against Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-AS, Veglin) in Relapsed and Refractory Malignancies," 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, New Orleans, La., June 3-8, 2004.

Mesothelioma Attorney
Asbestos Attorney
Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America


New Asbestos Abatement Method


MEDIA ALERT



Cowtown Inn Demolition Update


March 12, 2004

For Immediate Release

To:      News Editors, Assignment Editors and Photo Editors

From:   Kathryn Hansen
           Environmental Management Department Regulatory/Environmental Coordinator
            817-392-8136


           Shay Bell
           Code Compliance Department Public Education Specialist
           817-871-8139

The City of Fort Worth has scheduled two open houses to provide information, answer questions and seek public feedback on the demolition of the Cowtown Inn. The first of the meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, 2004, and the second is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, 2004. The open houses will be held at the Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center located at 6201 Beaty, Fort Worth, Texas, 76112. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Fort Worth Environmental Management Department will be attending the open houses.

The Cowtown Inn is located at 6855 E. Lancaster in east Fort Worth in the historic Handley neighborhood. The site is an abandoned motel comprising nine structures totaling approximately 65,692 square feet.

Abandoned for approximately 15 years, the Cowtown Inn was brought before the City’s Building Standards Commission in September 1999 for a hearing to determine whether it should be declared substandard. The Commission issued an order declaring the site substandard and requiring that it be brought up to code or demolished. No attempt was ever made by the owners to comply with the order. The City of Fort Worth acquired the property in January 2001, through property tax foreclosure proceedings.

The City of Fort Worth is now proposing to use an alternative method of demolition for part of the facility, which contains quantities of asbestos. At this time, demolition is scheduled for July 2004. Asbestos can cause a variety of respiratory and other illnesses including cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Fort Worth are designing the test of the alternative demolition methods to ensure that the public will not be exposed to asbestos fibers. The Environmental Management Department plans to accomplish this by removing some asbestos materials prior to demolition, and by wetting other asbestos-containing materials during the demolition process so that asbestos fibers will not become airborne. An extensive monitoring system will be in place to ensure that asbestos is not released, as well as a clean-up plan in the event that a significant release occurs.

Another important risk consideration is the improved health and safety of an area that results when a vacant building like the Cowtown Inn is removed from a community. Abandoned buildings often represent a source of rodent and insect infestation, an attractive nuisance for children, and a magnet for illegal drug or vagrant activity.

For more information, you may contact

  • Kathryn Hansen with the City of Fort Worth Environmental Management Department at 817-392-8136 or by email at kathryn.hansen@fortworthgov.org, or
  • Mark Hansen with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at 214-665-7548 or by email at hansen.mark@epa.gov.

Asbestos Lawyer

 Appeals Court Orders Judge to Step Aside in Three Asbestos Cases


By Milt Freudenheim

New York Times

May 18, 2004


A federal appeals court yesterday ordered the judge overseeing five important asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings to withdraw from three of the cases because of the appearance of bias.


Legal experts said the decision would probably force new delays and might cause far-reaching economic repercussions in the long-running litigation, which involves thousands of people who say they were harmed by exposure to asbestos.


I a 2-to-1 decision, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia ordered Alfred M. Wolin, a federal district judge in Newark, to end his role in the bankruptcy hearings involving W. R. Grace, Owens Corning and U.S. Gypsum because his handling of the cases had the appearance of bias.


But the three-judge panel said Judge Wolin had not, in fact, "done anything wrong or unethical or biased." The appeals judges said they would decide later whether to remove him from a fourth case involving Armstrong World, which had asked to be included in any withdrawal order.


Legal experts called the order highly unusual in civil legal proceedings and said it would be up to Judge Wolin to decide whether to continue overseeing the fifth case, involving Federal-Mogul Global, which was not immediately involving in the ruling.


The ruling was requested by Kensington International Ltd., which bought $275 million in Owens Corning bank debt soon after the company sought bankruptcy protection, and Springfield Associates, another holder of distressed debt.


Lawyers for the creditors objected to meetings that Judge Wolin conducted with plaintiffs' lawyers and other parties to the case without a record being made for those who were absent. The meetings "were flawed because no opportunity existed for their adversaries to know precisely what was said" and what effects might result, the court said.


The creditors also argued that the judge had appointed advisers who were not impartial because they represented plaintiffs in a similar bankruptcy case in Newark involving a company called G.I. Holdings Inc. The court noted that the judge and his advisers met with asbestos plaintiffs' lawyers for 325 hours over several years.


The court said two of the advisers, David R. Gross and C. Judson Hamlin, had a conflict of interest because they represented individuals with asbestos claims against G.I. Holdings. The court said there was a "close relationship between the future asbestos claimants and the issues in the five asbestos cases" before Judge Wolin and the G.I. Holdings case.


Judge Leonard I. Garth, who wrote the order for the appeals panel, was joined by Judge D. Brooks Smith. Judge Julio M. Fuentes dissented, saying that he did not agree that Judge Wolin's advisers, Mr. Gross and Mr. Hamlin, "had a conflict of interest."


Judge Wolin did not comment on yesterday's ruling. Last February, he issued a 102-page opinion denying motions seeking his withdrawal.


Lawrence Robbins, a lawyer for Kensington, said seeking the withdrawal of Judge Wolin was risky. "It is unusual for a judge to be recused," he said. "It is unusual for a litigant to seek a judge's recusal. Litigants don't do it lightly. Something must be really quite wrong."


The debtholders sought to force Judge Wolin to withdraw after he decided to consolidate the future treatment of commercial creditors together with individual claims. That would have reduced the company's money available to pay debt and increased the potential for fees for plaintiffs' lawyers, a legal expert said.


"He was deciding critical issues very much in the interests of plaintiff lawyers," said Lester Brickman, a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, who has studied asbestos litigation.


Mr. Robbins predicted that the case "will move along now," but other lawyers said the cases would be delayed by a year or more.


Judge Wolin was originally given responsibility for the five asbestos cases in 2001 by the chief judge of the appeals court in Philadelphia. The panel referred the future oversight of the three cases to the current chief judge.


The dispute involving Judge Wolin has already led plaintiffs' lawyers to increase their settlement demands significantly in many other cases involving companies that are not in bankruptcy proceedings to make up for the delay in resolving the five cases, Mr. Brickman said.


Companies have already paid more than $70 billion in asbestos claims, by some estimates, with insurance companies paying one-third to one-half of the total.


There have been 8,400 defendants in "tens of thousands of suits," said Stephen Carroll, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation research center in Santa Monica, Calif. Besides asbestos mining and products companies, defendants have included air-conditioning and heating companies, specialized contractors and water transport companies, he said.


Legislation to create a no-fault trust fund to compensate victims of asbestos-related diseases is stalemated in Congress. Advocates of the legislation say that more than 70 companies have been forced into bankruptcy by lawsuits.

Mesothelioma Lawyer

Mesothelioma Kills 10,000 Yearly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2004

CONTACT: Jon Corsiglia, Liz Moore or Lauren Sucher, EWG Action Fund
(202) 667-6982


ASBESTOS DEATH TOLL: 10,000 AMERICANS A YEAR - AND RISING

Study Details Fatalities in Each U.S. County - Warns of Congressional Plan to Deny Victims Help


WASHINGTON, March 4 - As the U.S. Senate considers a bill to protect companies from lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of Americans harmed by asbestos, the first-ever analysis of federal mortality records finds that 10,000 Americans die each year from asbestos exposure, and projects that up to ten times that many will die in the next decade.

More Americans die each year from cancers and other illnesses caused by asbestos than from fires and drowning combined, according to the study released today by the EWG Action Fund. Since 1979, more than 43,000 Americans have died from asbestos-related diseases, and the study details for the first time the death toll in each state and county nationwide. (The study is available at www.ewg.org.)

Although many Americans believe that asbestos has already been banned and its victims have been compensated by the courts, the EWG Action Fund study found that the conventional wisdom about this deadly material is almost completely wrong. Says Action Fund researcher Richard Wiles, lead author: "We took a new look at an old subject and found that asbestos is not an economic issue but a public health crisis - one that has yet to reach its peak."

The study reports that 30 million pounds of asbestos are used in the U.S. each year, lists dozens of widely-used consumer products that still contain it, and says more than one million workers are exposed every year. For the first time, EWG Action Fund's interactive website shows Americans how close they live to a site where asbestos was shipped or processed. The study lists sites nationwide where asbestos cleanup is most critical and finds that more than 100,000 people live within half a mile of a site.

The website goes behind doors at asbestos companies, making public decades of secret documents proving that the corporations knew asbestos was deadly but continued to poison their workers and the public for the sake of profits. EWG Action Fund researchers found that less than two per cent of workers exposed to asbestos have asked for help paying medical bills, and that companies who claim to have been driven bankrupt by asbestos suits tell shareholders their bottom lines have not suffered.

The Senate is currently considering a proposal to set up a special fund the bill's proponents claim will take care of all asbestos victims once and for all. But because asbestos-related diseases take up to 50 years to show up, even if everyone who is sick today was helped, the fund would deny justice to hundreds of thousands who have yet to become ill. EWG Action Fund researchers recommend that the federal government ban asbestos immediately and look for a policy solution that will care for all victims - now and in the future.

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