Clinical experience of treatment of metastatic melanoma and solid tumours adopting a derivative of diphtheria toxin: cross-reacting material 197.

Background: Diphtheria toxin (DT) has shown anticancer activity in both experimental models and humans but its adverse effects stopped further developments. Cross-reacting Material 197 (CRM197) is the product of a single missense mutation (Gly52 to Glu) within fragment A of DT. It has been shown to induce weak toxicity in some cell strains, but it shares immunological properties with native DT.

[Pulmonary arterial hypertension in Health District 11: a patient-oriented drug utilization analysis].

Dispensing medication at the discharge of patients is an activity that allows to the Pharmacy Department to have a privileged point of view about prescribing new drugs and therapies. During last year we met several prescriptions for new drugs utilized in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), These prescriptions are the mirror of the avalaibility of new specific drugs. PAH is a rare and fatal disease; current disease-specific therapeutic interventions in PAH established pathways in disease treatment: prostacyclin, endothelin receptors antagonist.