The MDS Beacon™

Results of a recent Phase 2 clinical trial suggest that a combination of Vidaza, valproic acid, and tretinoin is effective in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.  However, the researchers noted that the addition of tretinoin did not appear to have any significant clinical benefit over two-drug combination therapies that include Vidaza.

Currently, treatment options for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are limited. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three drugs for the treatment of MDS: Revlimid (lenalidomide), Vidaza (azacitidine), and Dacogen (decitabine).…

The addition of valproic acid (Depakene) to Dacogen (decitabine) may not improve response rates compared to Dacogen alone in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) due to valproic acid blocking how Dacogen works.

The findings are from a Phase 2 study conducted by researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and were presented at the 51st annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting and exposition held in New Orleans in December.

Valproic acid activates the production of protein based on a person’s genes…

A combination therapy of Vidaza (azacitidine) and valproic acid (Depakene) may be more effective than Vidaza alone for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to a Phase 2 study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Valproic acid is commonly used to reduce seizures in epilepsy patients and to treat bipolar disorder. It has recently become of interest as a possible treatment for blood- and bone marrow-related cancers like MDS.

Previous studies have shown that two classes of drugs, hypomethylating agents, which include Vidaza, and histone deacetylase inhibitors, which…