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Clinical trials
June 3, 2011
Central Health buys VA clinic for $10 million project
After months of closed-door negotiations, Central Health announced this morning it has bought the Veterans Affairs’ Austin Outpatient Clinic and will renovate the space to make it the largest of more than 20 CommUnityCare clinics.
The $10 million deal, including remodeling costs, closed a week ago, but the sale wasn’t announced until today because the paperwork hadn’t been finalized, said Christie Garbe, spokeswoman for Central Health, formerly the Travis County Healthcare District.
The purchase includes the 67,577 square-foot clinic at 2901 Montopolis Drive, at right, and 10.3 acres of land for $8 million. The renovations are estimated at $2 million.
The VA has outgrown the space and is building a new facility, slated to be ready in April 2013, at U.S. 183 and Metropolis Drive. At that time, Central Health will remodel. It hopes to move in later that summer or fall, said Larry Wallace, associate administrator of Central Health.
The Central Health board has agreed to issue a form of debt called certificates of obligation, which are similar to bonds but don’t require voter approval, to cover the cost. The Travis County Commissioners Court approved the method of financing last month, along with the issuance of $6 million in debt for the building of the North Central Health Center at 1210 W. Braker Lane.
For months, Central Health said it hoped to open a clinic in Southeastern Travis County but would not disclose the location until Friday because of competitive reasons.
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September 24, 2010
Lung cancer drug trial offered in Round Rock
Patients with a certain type of lung cancer — non-small cell — could be eligible to take part in a drug trial at Scott & White Healthcare - Round Rock.
The Phase III trial is aimed at preventing a recurrence in patients who have been treated for non-small cell lung cancer. Those patients who have received chemotherapy or radiation in the past five years are not eligible, Scott & White said.
Patients who qualify will receive injections of the compound every three weeks for 15 weeks and then every three months over a two-year period, Scott & White said.
The trial will evaluate the potential of Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic. The study, sponsored by Glaxo-Smith Kline, is called MAGRIT (MAGE-A3 as Adjuvant Non-Small Cell LunG Cancer Immunotherapy).
It is expected to be one of the largest Phase III lung cancer trials of its kind. About 400 locations in more than 33 countries are taking part.
Interested patients may contact Jill Meredith MeLissa Carney at 218-6374.
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July 23, 2010
Scott & White seeking lymphoma patients for clinical trial
Scott & White’s Cancer Research Institute in Temple is seeking patients to take part in a clinical trial testing an intravenous drug that targets malignant T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
The trial is open to people living in the Austin area who are willing to be hospitalized in Temple for five days and willing to return to be monitored with lab work and/or clinic visits up to four times during the first 30 days. Patients with partial or complete remissions will have follow-up visits during the year and annual visits to assess their response, according to the research institute.
About 15 percent of lymphomas are of T-cell origin, which tend to be chronic and do not respond well to chemotherapy, according to Dr. Arthur Frankel, director of the research institute and of Scott & White’s division of hematology/oncology. Consequently, the institute is seeking new agents that can target and kill the malignant T-cells, such as this drug.
Scott & White’s has enrolled 10 people in the study and hopes to enroll up to 30 more. To be eligible, patients must have failed previous treatment options.
The trial is being financed by the Gateway for Cancer Research foundation, a nonprofit medical research philanthropy, according to Frankel.
For information, contact clinical research coordinator Margarite Grable at mgrable@swmail.sw.org.
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April 15, 2010
Scott & White seeking lymphoma, leukemia patients for drug trial
Scott & White’s Cancer Research Institute is seeking patients with leukemia or lymphoma to take part in a clinical research trial to study a drug treatment for the two blood cancers.
The trial is part of an international study targeting adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and certain forms of lymphocytic leukemia.
“This study is important in our efforts to find new and better ways to treat patients with leukemia or lymphoma,” said Dr. Arthur Frankel, director of the institute and the main researcher for the portion of the study being done locally.
The trial will test the safety and effectiveness of the outpatient intravenous drug therapy called CAT-8015.
Frankel’s team is seeking to enroll up to 10 patients in the 30-month study. For more information or to find out if you are eligible, contact research coordinator Margarite Grable, at 254-724-0292 or mgrable@swmail.sw.org.
No patients have been enrolled in the study yet, and patients willing to travel to Temple up to seven times a month could be considered, Grable said.
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August 27, 2008
Can lithium slow down Lou Gehrig's disease?
Researchers are trying to find out if early studies on the drug lithium can slow the progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). ALS is one of the cruelest diseases: It robs the body of muscle strength until patients are so weak they can’t breathe.
A small Italian study on ALS and lithium — better known for treating bipolar disorder — showed promise. And now the ALS Association, among others, are jumping in to fund major studies.
“Lithium has generated a lot of interest in the ALS community,” says Lucie Bruijn, a senior vice president the ALS Association, in a news release this week about the study. “This trial is vital for testing the efficacy of lithium in a well-controlled way.”
The association will do the gold standard double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. It plans to enroll 84 patients and possibly expand to 250.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS Division also is launching a clinical trial of lithium in 10 sites across the United States. It plans to enroll 100 patients. One site listed on the MDA Web site is in Houston. No one answered when I tried calling this morning to see whether patients could still enroll, but the phone number is (713) 441-3420.
Most news about ALS is sad; this is encouraging.
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