Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has decided to scrap development of a drug designed to fight lung cancer, it was recently announced. The drug, tentatively known only as PF-3512676, was shown in trials to be no more effective when combined with chemotherapy than chemo alone, and the drug manufacturers behind it reasoned that it wasn't worth investing any additional revenue into. Nonetheless, a significant amount has already been poured in to the drug, so it comes a big hit for Pfizer and partnering company Coley.

Pfizer, in the meantime, continues working on several other cancer drugs, including ones for breast and colorectal cancers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take an additional three months to review Wyeth's kidney cancer drug Torisel -- the first of five new medications the company plans to introduce this year.

The FDA needs more time to investigate data on tumor growth in patients taking Torisel. If all goes well, the drug will be one of only three to effectively hold off incurable kidney cancer. The other two drugs are Pfizer's Sutent and Bayer AG's Nexavar.

Robert Ruffolo, president of Wyeth Research, says he is encouraged by the review process so far. And he is optimistic about launching the product in late 2007.

Studies show Torisel, which will cost patients about $30,000 per year, prolonged survival by 50 percent in those faring poorly with kidney cancer. The sickest kidney-cancer patients were essentially kept alive for 10.9 months, compared with 7.3 months with interferon drugs. Torisel also postponed tumor growth for 5.5 months. This is 77 percent longer than with interferon.

Sutent and Nexavar, both on the market since last year, also slow tumor growth. All three kidney-cancer medicines are of the variety that block the growth of cancer cells -- different from standard chemotherapy which kills tumors and harms nearby tissues too.

Wyeth is relatively new to the oncology market. And soon, the company hopes to launch three more cancer drugs. One, called CMC-544, treats non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Another, SKI-606, is for chronic myelogenous leukemia. And the third, HKI-272, is for breast cancer.

About 51,000 Americans will be diagnosed with kidney cancer this year.

The world's largest drug maker -- Pfizer Inc. -- announced Monday it will cut 10,000 jobs and close at least five facilities due to fierce competition from generic drug makers. The goal, says Pfizer spokespeople, is to whittle away annual costs by $2 billion by the end of the year -- to combat the prediction that the company will lose 41 percent of its sales to generic drugs between 2010 and 2012.

Pfizer's other obstacles include expiring drug patents -- costing Pfizer about $14 billion in revenues between 2005 and 2007 -- as well as demands for lower prices by insurers and large purchasers, and repeated requests for evidence of products' worth.

The 10,000 layoffs amount to 10 percent of the company's global workforce and will take jobs from 2,200 United States employees. The company will cut 20 percent of its European sales force, will close three research sites in Michigan and two manufacturing plants in New York and Nebraska, and is considering selling a manufacturing site in Germany and closing two research sites in Japan and France. In the midst of all of this, the company will focus its efforts on transforming the way they do business.

"I believe we must transform the way we've done business in the past in order to be more successful in the future," said Jeffrey Kindler, CEO and chairman of Pfizer. " Incremental evolution is not enough. Fundamental change is imperative -- and it must happen now."

Pfizer's Monday announcement is the second declaration of budget cuts. A previous announcement has the company -- the maker of cancer drugs Aromasin, Ellence, Camptosar, and Sutent -- slashing costs by $4 billion a year until 2008.

Pfizer Inc's anti-blood clotting drug Fragmin effectively prevents blood clots in cancer patients. This was stated by a United States advisory panel who believes that the drug warrants further approval. Fragmin is sold for treating clots in various surgical patients. Chemotherapy patients can be prone to blood clots, caused by intravenous lines or the drugs themselves.

A single study showed that patients taking Fragmin had fewer patients experience blood clots. The FDA does have concerns but they usually follow the advice of its advisory panels.

Blood clots can become harmful when they block an artery or vein to stop blood flow. Some symptoms could be pain in the calf or leg muscle, swelling, tenderness, discoloration, or prominent veins.

If you need additional information on blood clots and the currant therapies available you can go to Chemocare.com.

Pfizer announced that Chantix (varenicline), a drug designed to help smokers quit smoking, is now available in US pharmacies. This is the first new prescription drug for smoking cessation treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a decade. When prescribed Chantix, smokers will be offered a chance to participate in a behavioral modification program called GETQUIT Support Plan at no extra cost.

Chantix acts on the areas of the brain affected by nicotine and helps those who smoke cigarettes to quit smoking in two ways: by providing some nicotine effects to ease the withdrawal symptoms and by blocking the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if they start smoking again. There is no magic bullet here, although in clinical trials the drug quadrupled the chances of a smoker quitting and was shown to be twice as effective as the currently prescribed drug Zyban.

Pfizer Helpful Answers has a program available for people without prescription coverage. People with low incomes may even qualify for free medications. For more information about Chantix and the free GETQUIT program, visit the Chantix website.