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Amgen is a pioneer in the field of biologic medicines and our mission is to serve patients.

The pursuit of science-based medicines that restore health or even save lives is fundamental to our values. Our primary focus is to continue discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing innovative medicines to treat grievous illnesses. Amgen’s leading position in biotechnology, long-standing commitment to patient safety and leadership in manufacturing high quality biologic medicines mean that Amgen is equipped to develop and produce safe and effective biosimilars.

Patients with recurrent glioblastoma at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) are the first to experience a novel treatment using a high-tech device designed to help control brain tumors that might otherwise be untreatable.

Following surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, patients wear the electrical “helmet” up to 18 hours a day. It bombards the brain with electrical currents. Patients say the machine is silent and easy to use.

The biggest newsmaker at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was a compound whose name and actions sound practically missilelike: T-DM1. Because of its highly targeted and potent effect that spares surrounding healthy tissue, T-DM1 not only has potent antitumor effects but is also very well tolerated.

The surprising results of a randomized trial on patient preference for one cancer therapy over another show that patient-reported quality-of-life (QOL) differences influence treatment preference far more than physicians had imagined, suggested researchers at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, Illinois.

At the recent 2012 symposium of the Multinational As sociation of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), held in New York City, experts discussed a wide range of topics related to management of treatmentinduced side effects. Below are some highlights from the MASCC annual symposium.

Management of Febrile Neutropenia

The drug shortage crisis is easing, but an actual solution to the problem is still elusive, according to participants in a press briefing that addressed the issue at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held in Chicago, Illinois.

Richard Schilsky, MD, chair of ASCO’s government relations committee and an oncologist at the University of Chicago, indicated, “Patient care has been threatened in many cases. But the good news is that the frequency of drug shortages is beginning to decline.”