Australian company advances anti-cancer drug
A Melbourne, Australia-based drug manufacturer, Cytopia Limited, is proceeding to the next phases of testing in clinical studies for its anti-cancer compound, CYT997. The vascular disrupting agent...
View ArticleONCONASE on fast track for Meso treatment
SOMERSET, N.J., April 2, 2008 – PRNewswire – Alfacell Corporation today announced that it has confirmed that 316 evaluable events (patient deaths) have occured in the confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical...
View ArticleNew mesothelioma drug being developed
I recently posted about the progress of a new drug to treat mesothelioma, called ONCONASE, which has completed Phase IIIb clinical trials and is being fast-tracked for approval in the U.S. ONCONASE...
View ArticleMesothelioma could kill 10% of Aussie carpenters
A new study is predicting 10 percent of Australian carpenters born before 1950 will die of mesothelioma. The Australian study, conducted by cancer research specialist Professor Julian Peto, was based...
View ArticleAustralia braces for new wave of mesothelioma cases
A report in The Courier Mail, based in Queensland, Australia, says mesothelioma deaths could double in the coming years, as the disease begins to strike end users of asbestos products, like amateur...
View ArticleOnconase fails in primary late-stage trial
Alfacell Corp., a biotechnology company that manufactures Onconase, released a disappointing report Wednesday regaring its Onconase product, which was hoped to be a significant treatment for...
View ArticleQuintessence continues with mesothelioma drug
On April 21 I reported that a Madison, Wisconsin-based biotechnology firm, Quintessence Bioscience, was moving forward on a drug similar to Alfacel’s Onconase, to treat mesothelioma. The report, from...
View ArticleONCONASE expands to Israel as meso concerns there grow
Today Alfacell, the manufacturer of ONCONASE, announced it will begin distribution of the mesothelioma drug in Israel. The company will partner with Megapharm, Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical company in...
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Shadwick CD benefits mesothelioma research
Thirty-four years after its original recording, Candid Records has released a jazz CD to honor the memory of noted British journalist and musician Keith Shadwick, with all proceeds from the sale going...
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jazz CD a tribute to artist affected by meso
Last week, I mentioned that I’d come across an interesting story about a jazz musician and noted writer in Britain, who released a recording of his work begun in 1973. Keith Shadwick was a professional...
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Australia losing expert craftsman to mesothelioma
For generations, skilled craftspeople and artisans have passed down their secrets for creating fine handmade furniture. Among the best is Tom Harrington, of the Southern Highlands area of Australia....
View ArticleMeso survivor delivers ‘miracle baby’ in time for Christmas
About this time last year, Melbourne, Australia, resident Anita Steiner was facing the prospect of terminal cancer. At 45 years old, she had been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Her doctor estimated she...
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Australian asbestos fighter Banton honored
Bernie Banton, who was the face of the fight against asbestos in Australia, was honored posthumously Jan. 21 with the opening of the Bernie Banton Centre at Sydney’s Concord Hospital. The centre, which...
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James Hardie executives handed penalties in asbestos compensation fund case
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) reported this week that the New South Wales Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that it will impose penalties against seven former directors and...
View ArticleStudy supports extrapleural pneumonectomy to treat select mesothelioma patients
The results of a study published recently in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery supports the use of extrapleural pneumonectomy-based multimodal therapy in carefully selected patients...
View ArticleAustralian photographer captures emotions of meso widows in touching exhibit
An Australian artist, photographer Chris Ireland, has created an emotional exhibit titled “Breathe,” which captures the feelings of 14 women who have lost their husbands to mesothelioma and other...
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Bionomics set to begin Phase II clinical trial following initial success of...
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that biotechnology company Bionomics is set to begin a Phase II clinical trial of its anti-cancer drug, BNC105, at up to 12 cancer treatment centers across...
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Australian doctor researching radiotherapy for treatment of pleural mesothelioma
One of the many mesothelioma community members on Facebook posted a question today about a clinical trial being conducted at the Mesothelioma Center, located at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. MyMeso...
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Bionomics begins Phase II clinical trial of mesothelioma med in Australia
Bionomics, an Australian biotechnology company, has announced the beginning of Phase II clinical trials for its vascular disrupting agent BNC105 as a treatment for mesothelioma. The company announced...
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‘Third wave’ of asbestos victims being diagnosed with mesothelioma
In Australia, which has the highest per capital rate of mesothelioma in the world, doctors and researchers are seeing a new wave of younger people diagnosed. They call these patients the “third wave”...
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Australian company creates software for asbestos mapping, management and...
An Australian company called Octfolio has launched what it is touting as a “pioneering technology platform” that it says will help achieve the government’s goal of ridding the country of asbestos by...
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Australian Whistleblower Abused, Harassed After Exposing Asbestos Danger
From Australia comes a story of the extreme harassment, abuse, and other malicious treatment that whistleblowers who try to expose wrongdoing often must face. According to The Canberra Times, a public...
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Australia Finds Asbestos in Crayons From China
Australian authorities are warning consumers to avoid a brand of Crayons made in China that have tested positive for asbestos, a silicate mineral that can cause devastating health problems for people...
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New Australian research suggests mesothelioma tumors grow blood vessels
Mesothelioma may be growing differently than experts previously believed. A recent discovery by researchers at Australia’s Flinders University suggests mesothelioma tumors promote growth through...
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Sydney Harbour Bridge project uncovered asbestos; public made aware 10 months...
After road workers in Australia completed construction and renovation on the Sydney Harbour Bridge nearly 10 months ago, the public has just been made aware of the discovery of asbestos beneath...
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November marks Australian Asbestos Awareness Month
As November comes to an end, so too does Australia’s Asbestos Awareness Month. Australians across the country have been participating in an Asbestos Awareness campaign, overseen by a combination of...
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Mr. Fluffy asbestos insulation causing mental health strain in Australian...
Mr. Fluffy: It’s not an adorable teddy bear used to comfort children. In fact, it’s deadly. A form of loose asbestos insulation used in the Australian capital of Canberra, Mr. Fluffy has caused...
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Socioeconomic status impacts mesothelioma patient outcomes
Socioeconomic status has a bigger impact on mesothelioma patient prognosis than any other factor, according to a new study. Despite each of the 910 Australian patients with pleural mesothelioma who...
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Australian state sees first black lung case since 1970s
New South Wales, a state in southeastern Australia, has confirmed its first case of black lung disease since the 1970s. The NSW Department of Industry Resources confirmed last week it had been alerted...
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Homeowners often renovated homes containing Mr. Fluffy asbestos-tainted...
A form of loose asbestos insulation used in the Australian capital of Canberra, Mr. Fluffy has caused problems for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and homeowners alike since a sole contractor...
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New book highlights drastic effects of Mr. Fluffy insulation on homeowners
A new book highlights the effects Mr. Fluffy, a form of loose asbestos insulation, has on the Australian capital of Canberra. The insulation was used extensively in the area by a sole contractor in the...
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Australian residents call for health checks after asbestos discovery
Residents of a remote town in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia are calling on the government to step in and address possible asbestos exposure due to a building purchased with government money....
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Australian city increases asbestos mishandling fines
Using asbestos in building products was banned in most Australian states and territories in the late 1980s, and in 2003, the nation banned all uses of chrysotile asbestos and extended the ban to the...
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Australian government clarifies asbestos pledge
Australia’s Victorian government is under fire for what some are calling broken campaign promises. During a state government audit in 2014, some schools in the region were found to be so plagued with...
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Mr. Fluffy home demolitions near completion
A form of loose asbestos insulation used in the Australian capital of Canberra, Mr. Fluffy has proved much more menacing than its name would suggest. Fear of Mr. Fluffy reemerged in 2013 after a house...
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Australian eco-development faces asbestos abatement legal challenges
Credit: Cassowary/Wikipedia An asbestos abatement case is making its way to Australia’s Supreme Court, and while the dispute is being adjudicated, plans for a $2 billion eco-development are on hold....
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Electrical Union issues ban after asbestos found at Sydney Opera House
Credit: Adam.J.W.C. via Wikipedia Renovations at the Sydney Opera House have hit a roadblock following the confirmation of asbestos fibers in the building. The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has issued...
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Australian mines fail to meet air quality control regulations
Credit: Stephen Codrington/ Wikipedia Four Queensland, Australia, coal mines have failed to meet dust monitoring regulations created to protect workers from developing black lung, according to The...
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Australian asbestos ban difficult due to Chinese imports
Asbestos is widely considered to be a group of six carcinogenic silicate minerals: chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite. But what happens when countries do not...
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Iconic Melbourne trams contain asbestos flooring
Credit: Dysprosia Three of Melbourne, Australia’s iconic W-Class trams, which regularly carry tourists along routes around the city, have failed routine inspections due to asbestos-containing...
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Queensland government plans to improve coal mining regulations
Despite the belief black lung disease was under control in Australia, the state of New South Wales saw its first diagnosed case of black lung since the 1970s this year. With similar symptoms to...
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