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FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to New Mesothelioma Drug
Italian drug manufacturer Fidia Farmaceutici has announced that its anticancer drug ONCOFID®-P has received a coveted orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This move will provide the company with several development incentives, including tax credits for qualified clinical testing and eligibility for seven years of market exclusivity once its product receives
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Asbestos Company Expert Calls Mesothelioma a “Dreadful Disease,” Jury Awards Victim $25 Million
In April of 2018, 69-year-old William Phipps was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Phipps had spent the majority of his adult life working as an HVAC technician, repairing and installing heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, a skill he learned after his four years serving in the U.S. Navy onboard the U.S.S. Porterfield. When he and
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Massachusetts Attorney General Sues After Companies Create Mesothelioma Risk
Like the asbestos companies that ignored safety in the past, construction companies that are careless in their handling of the carcinogenic material create a present-day risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases for their employees and others. In Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey has taken an aggressive position against those who flout asbestos-handling laws, and this
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Expansion of VA Access to Clinical Trials Will Improve Mesothelioma Outcomes for Vets
Because the military made such extensive use of asbestos-contaminated materials in the years between World War II and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, veterans of America’s Armed Forces represent a significant proportion of mesothelioma patients. Many steps have to been taken to improve veterans’ ability to receive state-of-the-art treatment for the rare and deadly form
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Study Confirms Effectiveness of Common Mesothelioma Treatment
One of the greatest challenges faced by researchers working towards a mesothelioma cure is the extreme rarity of the disease: doctors often pursue a course of treatment without robust data to support their choice. To counter this, a group of Japanese researchers decided to conduct a clinical trial investigating the outcomes of the preferred protocol
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Facing Thousands of Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Claims, Johnson & Johnson Considers Bankruptcy
After several juries have ruled against them in mesothelioma and ovarian cancer lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson’s is said to be considering creating a new business entity specifically for its talc liabilities. The legal maneuver would allow the newly formed company to then file for bankruptcy in order to put an end to the flow of
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Court Denies Asbestos Company’s Motion to Dismiss Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Alvin Smith was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after a long career as an electrician. Before he died of the disease, he provided testimony in support of a lawsuit against National Grid, the company that succeeded the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) that had supervised his work at the Northport Power Plant. Though LILCO filed a motion
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Phase II Study Confirms Effectiveness of New Treatment for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
A just-released study out of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center provides encouraging news for patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. According to researchers at the highly respected facility, treatment combining atezolizumab and bevacizumab provided a 40% objective response rate in patients diagnosed with the rare cancer of the abdominal lining. They also
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Protein’s Release May Be Tied to Development of Mesothelioma Tumors
Though the majority of scientific effort surrounding malignant mesothelioma is focused on improving patient outcomes, many scientists are working towards understanding how the disease develops, with an eye to potentially disrupting the process. A collaborative study headed by scientists from the University of Hawaii may have found the missing link between exposure to asbestos and
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After Mesothelioma Claims Her Musician Husband, Widow Sues BBC
Malignant mesothelioma is a cruel and fatal form of cancer that claims lives all over the world. It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral that has long been prized for its ability to add strength and fire-resistant properties to buildings, ships, factories, and many other applications. It was used extensively in the reconstruction
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$81.5 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Reinstated by Washington State Supreme Court
Jerry Coogan’s peritoneal mesothelioma was both extremely aggressive and torturous, and he died a painful death just six months after his diagnosis. A Washington state jury hearing the details of his asbestos exposure and subsequent suffering ordered Genuine Parts Company and National Automotive Parts Association to pay his family and estate an eye-popping $81.5 million
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Financial Hardship Study Provides Insights for Mesothelioma Patients
Malignant mesothelioma creates chaos. In the wake of an emotionally overwhelming diagnosis, patients struggle to comprehend their new reality while simultaneously being rushed into treatment to extend survival and improve the quality of their lives. The treatments are necessary whether patients opt for a curative or palliative approach, but their high price introduces financial stress to
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Mesothelioma Victims Prevail in Suit Against Asbestos Insurer
Mesothelioma victims are confronted with harsh realities on a continuing basis, and that includes the constant ups and downs of pursuing litigation against the companies responsible for their illness. As if it weren’t enough to know that their fatal illness could have been prevented, those seeking justice have to face specious arguments against responsibility and
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Georgia Appeals Court Allows Mesothelioma Case Against Power Company to Continue
After Colen Campbell was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma in 2017, he and his wife filed lawsuits seeking compensation from 49 different defendants. His claims were based in part on his exposure to asbestos at the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant, when he installed insulation as a contractor for North Brothers in 1973 and
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New Mesothelioma Study Suggests Asbestos Impacts Immune Response
It has been decades since the Environmental Protection Agency publicly linked asbestos to malignant mesothelioma, and even longer that scientists have been exploring the role between the mineral and the illness. Though the actual mechanism that leads to the development of cancerous cells remains a mystery, Japanese researchers believe they may be one step closer
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Mesothelioma-Stricken Former Mechanic Wins $8.2 Million Verdict Against Ford Motor
After just one hour of deliberation, a Louisiana jury ordered Ford Motor Company to pay Steven “Joe” Aaron Sr. $8,261,874 as compensation for the malignant mesothelioma he blamed on asbestos hidden within the company’s vehicles. The quick decision followed three weeks of testimony about Aaron’s repeated exposure to asbestos while servicing brakes and clutches installed
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Israeli Scientists’ Groundbreaking Technology May Revolutionize Mesothelioma Treatment
Scientists from Tel Aviv University recently developed a new method of transporting drugs to cancer cells, and it may create a sea change in how malignant mesothelioma and other challenging forms of cancer are treated in the future.
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Study has Doctors Reconsidering Use of Adjuvant Radiation in Mesothelioma Treatment
Adjuvant radiation therapy is frequently used in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, but a recent study published by researchers from the Duke University Medical Center and Stanford University Medical Center has doctors reconsidering its application. Comparing outcomes from patients who received the therapy and those who didn’t, the researchers found it yielded no improved survival.
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Confidential Settlement Reached with Talc Company in Retired Teacher’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Four days after a California jury began hearing how a retired schoolteacher’s malignant mesothelioma had been caused by asbestos hidden in body powders she’d used for decades, the talc company responsible for the asbestos offered her a settlement and the case came to a close. Though the amount agreed to remains confidential, the agreement came
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Japanese Government Assumes Financial Responsibility for Over 1,000 Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Victims
In the United States, mesothelioma victims whose asbestos exposure occurred while doing government work can only effectively seek compensation from the suppliers of the asbestos-contaminated materials – the government is shielded from responsibility. That is not the case in other areas of the world, and last week Japan’s health ministry announced that it would be
