Loretta Itri, MD, serves as the executive vice president of global health sciences and regulatory affairs for The Medicines Company in Parsippany, New Jersey. Responsible for overseeing research and development, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory affairs, Loretta Itri, MD, follows advances in cancer research, including a new therapy for cancer-associated anemia. Recent research has demonstrated that erythropoietin (EPO) therapy may be a potentially effective treatment for cancer-associated malignant anemia because it has shown the ability to improve blood parameters in studied patient populations. Cancer-associated malignant anemia can be triggered by a variety of causes, including bleeding, hemolysis, or poor nutrition. It also can occur as a side-effect of radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment, or from a drop in red blood cell production due to a deficiency of naturally-occurring EPO. A meta-analysis of six medical research studies of patients with cancer-associated anemia showed that EPO therapy improved hemoglobin levels and reduced the need for transfusions. EPO treatments may prove especially helpful in treating patients with colorectal cancer, who are prone to cancer-associated anemia due to reduced iron absorption in the colon and intestines. Although iron supplementation is generally prescribed for these patients, alone, it does not stimulate sufficient natural EPO release in the body to address low hemoglobin levels.
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AuthorAs chief medical officer and president of pharmaceutical development at a public biotech company, Dr. Loretta Itri oversaw the worldwide development of a number of important drugs, including Tesetaxel, a novel oral taxane used in the treatment of breast, gastric, and prostate cancer. Archives
October 2019
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