Personal Injury Law

Targeted Cancer Drugs Cause Heart Trouble

The promise of molecular-based targeted cancer drugs has always been that they would attack only the cancer and reduce possible side effects to small effects with a low probability. However, they are proving to come with just as many dangerous side effects as more traditional drug therapies. A recent study showed that Pfizer, Inc's Sutent, approved to treat a variety of stomach cancer and advanced kidney cancer, can damage the heart, leading to high blood pressure and heart failure. This follows last year's revelation that Gleevac, designed to treat leukemia, as well as the previous findings that Herceptin, which targets breast cancer, also cause heart damage.

Although researchers say that these drugs are less toxic to the body as a whole, they admit that many of the molecules that drive cancer are involved in normal cell function. Thus, the so-called targeted therapies may also target normal cells as well.

If you or someone you love is finding that the promises made about your new medication are as much wishful thinking as real science, contact the Texas defective drug lawyers at Jim Adler & Associates today to find help.

Full post as published by The Personal Injury Lawyer Directory on December 17, 2007 (boomark / email).