When work really hits home
 

I visit this site to provide support to those reaching out and to remember how hard my battle was so I don't sweat the small stuff. I work in pharmaceuticals, specifically oncology drugs. Our company recently acquired a drug for salvage therapy for HER2+ breast cancer. Needless to say, I am getting on a 16 hour non-stop flight to visit the suppliers and hopefully get the product into a clinical trial as soon as possible. Early trial results are fantastic and I'm hopeful. I bring everyone on this site with me to work, and keep you in my heart when I'm working long days and weekends.
-Julie

Re: When work really hits home
 

Hi Julie,

how do you mean "salvage"? As in: when HER targeted stops working?

Thanks,

Annette

Re: When work really hits home
 

Julie,

Thanks so much for the work that you are doing! I can imagine how motivating it is to work knowing that what you are doing could increase your survival as well as that of all other HER2 folks. It is so important to have people like you fighting for us!

Thanks

Brenda

Re: When work really hits home
 

Like you, I work in the industry, but as a consultant. Every day is something different for me. But at night, I get to focus on HER+ issues. Hopefully the monster can be helped by people like you and your co-workers. I think I know who you are working with, and it would be worth explaining to others your meaning of salvage therapy drug.
Paul

Re: When work really hits home
 

Like you, I work in the industry, but as a consultant. Every day is something different for me. But at night, I get to focus on HER+ issues. Hopefully the monster can be helped by people like you and your co-workers. I think I know who you are working with, and it would be worth explaining to others your meaning of salvage therapy drug.
Paul

Re: When work really hits home
 

This intrigued me, so I turned to Mr. Google (not the best source, I know, but when in a pinch...). Wikipedia tells me I was at least somewhat right with my guess regarding what "salvage" means in the context:

Salvage therapy, also known as rescue therapy, is therapy given to save or rescue a patient when other therapy has not worked, usually when time is short to avert death. Salvage therapy is given after an ailment does not respond to standard treatment. The word is not clearly defined; it is used both to mean a second attempt and a final attempt. The distinction from emergency medicine is that the latter involves intake of new emergencies (acute care for newly emerged situations), whereas salvage therapy involves last-chance efforts to save patients with any level of acute, subacute, or chronic conditions (not solely newly emergent ones). For example, chronic or subacute diseases that tend to require salvage therapy are HIV/AIDS, various late-stage cancers, and chronic cardiovascular disease deteriorating to life-threatening levels of cardiac arrhythmia or myocardial infarction. Salvage therapy drugs or drug combinations have, in general, much more severe side effects than the standard lines of therapy.


I do perfer to believe that what you're looking at is not a final attempt, but rather a second attempt. ;-) I.e. when the cancer acquires resistance to existing treatments (such as Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab for HER2+++), this medication would reverse that process. Intriguing. Thanks for all the work you do!

Re: When work really hits home
 

Julie, thank you so much for posting about this. You have supported me through so much and you still are. This is wonderful news.

Carol Ann

Re: When work really hits home
 

Dr. Google did a good job. As we all know, Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab can stop working for HER2+ cancer. So this is a completely different mechanism that will be another choice for patients who have failed on the current standard of care. I'll be in S. Korea the week of June 1st. And I don't consider this is a last ditch effort, it's just easier to get a product approved or a trial approved when you're not proving superiority to existing products. It's just going to be another option. I can't disclose any details until results are published but hoping to start a Phase 2 trial in the US before end of the year. Other companies are doing great work too.

Re: When work really hits home
 

Nice to hear good things are in the works thanks for sharing what you can.

Sorry but I gotta say - I hate the term SALVAGE THERAPY and hate the reference "patients who have failed on the current standard of care".

While I realize this is medical jargon, it still makes me sick every time I read these words from the medical community. No offense to you, personally!!

I just can't keep quiet on this language...

Re: When work really hits home
 

What a blessing to hear from an "insider" that there are new developments on the horizon
To me it gives credence to my mantra " keep the faith" Just today I read an article that referenced what a game changer Herceptin was
So, keep the faith

Re: When work really hits home
 

Great news from Julie - thank you! However I think I share Socalgal's dislike of the language.
Best wishes.... Pam

Re: When work really hits home
 

I didn't mean to disregard Flori's feelings. I agree there is some unfortunate language in the medical field. And in the recovery community too. I personally don't like the implication of "warrior" or "battle with cancer" references
Probably some people don't like to hear " keep the faith"!
At any rate, I'm still pleased to think there are more treatment choices on the horizon

Re: When work really hits home
 

Sorry to offend anyone. It's frustrating for us in the field of wanting to save lives (I've been doing this for 25+ years before my diagnosis). Language is dictated by FDA and associated announcements. If any of this were sugar coated, we in the industry could not move forward so aggressively. It's a hideously slow process but recently has made significant gains. Never in our history has a drug been approved after phase 2 results but it's a milestone that has been reached.

Again, sorry if I offended anyone, I just can't speak outside of public information. But I feel honored that I'm championing two drugs that are going to help us and will continue to do so.

-Julie

Re: When work really hits home
 

Julie, we love you and would never "shoot the messenger". You brought us good news that someone else labeled badly!
Keep the faith

Re: When work really hits home
 

Thanks Bonnie but have decided to leave the HER group as of now. I live and work in horrible diseases and actually broke down at work because of frustrations. It's almost impossible for me to hear of how horrible my industry is when I know we fight so hard for patients. I was hospitalized with fever during an inspection as I put my work before my health.

Yes, the CEOs of most pharma companies are like any CEO's. I just haven't seen other's post information directly from companies websites so personally confronted and I'm just too sick and too dedicated to deal with it.

Maybe when I lost Adriana and another person on this site stopped talking to me I lost the connection, but this is too much. I have cried too many tears tonight to stay connected.

XO

Re: When work really hits home
 

I'm sorry to hear that. But you need to do what feels right for you and to preserve your equanimity
A few years ago I had a terrible incident on this board. It was horrible and I cried for days
But eventually the good outweighed the bad and I stayed. I hope that happens for you too
That you'll know that what you are doing for all of us really matters
Keep the faith

Re: When work really hits home
 

Hi Julie. You go girl. I haven't been on the board for a while, and the loss of Adriana kind of solidified it for me.

I too have had some nasty collisions on this site (when Joe came to my rescue) that cut deep. Some were banned from the site, as well they should have been.

We all stand in support of one another, or should. We can differ, but with kindness and caring.

So sorry for your incident from the bottom of my heart. I think of you, and all here, even when I don't post. And you Julie were always a special lady to me. Grateful for your good works and for your sharing of good news.

The 'last ditch effort' phraseology is unfortunate indeed, Flori. Sucks actually. But -- get 'er done! I still recall a friend asking me what stage I was. I couldn't answer. Paul stepped in and said, solemnly, 4th. She is 4th stage. The friend asked how many stages there were....................

I thought, there are no more stages. I guess death is the last stage. But I said nothing. Couldn't salvage that bleak vision. EVERY THOUGHT IS LIKE A PRAYER. EVERY THOUGHT IS A POTENTIAL MIRACLE. WE ARE ALL A POTENTIAL MIRACLE, against all odds. The impossible happens all the time!

Sending Love and Light,
Andi

Re: When work really hits home
 

Julie I'm coming in late and just seeing this now and wanted to thank you for the information you provided and to echo the other comments and hope you'll decide to stay with us and not leave. xx

Re: When work really hits home
 

Julie,
I feel priviledged to have found this group and to be a part of it. Having breast cancer is not a club any of us ever wanted to be a member of - much less, throw in the Her2+ component. We are all from different parts of the world, different backgrounds and experiences, yet out link is the Her2. I thank you for your service giving and advocating for treatment. Please know that it is appreciated.
@Bonnie - I like "keep the faith". Sometimes I like to use it also, but I always give you credit.
Pam

Re: When work really hits home
 

Pam, that's so sweet of you. But I resurrected "keep the faith" from a 60's politician Adam Clayton Powell! So it's hardly original