Cancer News: Newly Established Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine
 
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center announced Monday that it has established a Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine with a $30 million gift from the Richmond, Va.-based Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research. The Baltimore Sun reports the money will further Hopkins' research into technologies that can pinpoint genetic characteristics of a patient's cancer so therapies can be tailor-made.
 
Cancer News: New Ovarian Cancer Drug Looks Promising
 
An experimental drug shown to be effective in treating ovarian cancer in patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations appears to be effective in some patients without the mutations as well, WebMD and ThirdAge.com report. The drug Olaparib is one of several experimental treatments that block the activity of the protein PARP, which is involved in DNA repair. The new study is the first to suggest that PARP inhibitors may prove effective in a broader group of patients with non-inherited cancers who have few treatment options.
 
Healthcare News: Higher Patient Payments for Specialty Drugs Sparks Controversy
 
To try to control spending, some employers are requiring patients to pay a percentage of the cost of specialty drugs rather than a flat dollar co-payment. While some say that requiring higher patient payments is a useful tool to control drug spending, others warn their employer clients that the approach could discourage workers from taking needed medications. The USA Today covers this trend.