Given a paragraph, generate a claim that is supported by the given paragraph. 1) The claim must contain information from within the paragraph. 2) A sentence within the paragraph can be used as a claim. 3) The claim should not have contradictions within the paragraph. 4) The claim should be at most one sentence long.

Six patients were still responding at 7.5 months of follow-up, according to research presented in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The highest trial dose was discontinued due to toxicity. Nearly a third of trial patients developed serious infections and other side effects included nerve damage and liver failure. Amgen said AMG420, which targets a protein linked to multiple myeloma known as BCMA, has been given fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Based on these data, we plan to open an expanded trial,” David Reese, Amgen’s head of research and development, said in an interview. “We want to begin exploring quickly enrollment in earlier lines of therapy.”  Amgen’s pipeline of bispecific antibodies, which are designed to attach to a cancer cell and an immune cell, bringing them together so the body’s immune system can kill the cancer, are a cornerstone of the biotech company’s oncology research. Other companies are exploring different ways to attack the same BCMA target, including bluebird bio Inc, Celgene Corp and Johnson & Johnson. Earlier at the ASH meeting, bluebird and Celgene presented early trial data showing that experimental cell therapy bb21217 induced responses in 10 out of 12 heavily pre-treated myeloma patients. Bb21217 is a next-generation version of bb2121, the companies’ more advanced, but still experimental therapy in a class called CAR-T that requires harvesting a patient’s own disease-fighting T-cells, modifying them in a laboratory so they target specific proteins on cancer cells and infusing them back into the patient. The manufacturing process for bb21217 is designed to improve the persistence of the altered cells. J&J, which licensed BCMA-directed CAR-T LCAR-B38M from a unit of China-based GenScript Biotech Corp, on Monday presented updated results from a Chinese study of the cell therapy in 57 previously treated myeloma patients. It showed that 88 percent of patients responded to the treatment, and 74 percent achieved remission. J&J is currently enrolling patients in an international study aimed at validating those findings. Amgen has suggested the “off the shelf” nature of its antibody platform could be an advantage from both a clinical and commercial standpoint, but oncologists say more data is needed. Trial patients are hospitalized for their first cycle of AMG420, after which they receive the drug by continuous 24-hour infusion for four weeks, followed by two weeks off therapy, for up to 10 cycles. Amgen has another BCMA-targeting antibody that lasts longer in the body, requiring less frequent infusions, but that research is at an earlier stage. In the current study, 42 patients with multiple myeloma that  worsened after at least two prior treatments were given AMG420 at varying doses. A total of 13 patients responded to the treatment, including seven who achieved remission. Of the 20 patients with serious adverse events, 17 required hospitalization and four had prolonged hospitalization.
Amgen antibody shows promise in myeloma trial, gets FDA fast track.

Eighteen people who became ill attended the private function Nov. 24 at the Puritan Backroom conference center in Manchester, the state Department of Health and Human Services said. The person who later died was an adult from Hillsborough County. No other details were issued about the person, in accordance with federal and state privacy laws. The state medical examiner’s office completed its final report Tuesday after conducting an autopsy last month. The restaurant is co-owned by U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas. It has been in his family for more than a century and is a frequent stop for presidential candidates of both parties. The manager of the Puritan Backroom said recently that the restaurant’s top priorities are promoting health and excellent food safety and that he was confident it was doing everything possible to maintain those practices. After the outbreak, the Manchester Health Department conducted an inspection of the restaurant. Officials determined there was no ongoing norovirus risk to the public. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.
Officials: Norovirus contributed to restaurant patron death.

Montreal Canadiens Max Pacioretty lies on the ice after being hit into a glass stanchion by Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara during the second period of NHL hockey play in Montreal, March 8, 2011. REUTERS/Shaun Best With the National Hockey League playoffs under way after a season where jarring head shots grabbed headlines, researchers said the number of concussions was leveling off. But the ice time a player loses more than doubles with each subsequent concussion, so there were more absences. “Either concussions are becoming more severe or physicians are becoming more conservative with their management decisions,” said Brian Benson, a physician at the University of Calgary’s faculty of kinesiology and the lead author of the report. “We’re uncertain of the exact reason but it’s certainly an observation of the study.”   The report now goes to the NHL’s concussion working group, which will examine ways to prevent concussions, or work out how to respond when they do happen. “The goal in hockey in general is to reduce the risk of this potentially devastating injury without necessarily changing the nature of the game that millions love and enjoy watching,” Benson said. “You don’t want to make haphazard decisions but you certainly want to base it on evidence and try to reduce this foreseeable, predictable risk.”   The league has faced many calls for tougher penalties for potentially career-ending hits to the head, including some this season after a March incident in which Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens was injured after a body check that sent his head into a stanchion. He suffered a concussion and fractured vertebra. Sidney Crosby, Canada’s gold-medal goal-scorer in the 2010 Winter Olympics, has been off the ice since suffering a concussion in January. The researchers worked with the NHL and NHL Players’ Association to analyze 559 doctors’ reports of concussions suffered by players between 1997 and 2004. Their findings are published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The researchers estimated that there were 1.8 concussions per 1,000 player hours, a number that leveled off through the study period. The most-often reported symptom was headache at 71 percent. But players also reported dizziness, nausea, neck pain, fatigue, blurred vision or amnesia. Some 18 percent lost consciousness. For each recurrent concussion, the typical number of days lost increased by 2.25 times. Benson has worked with the NHL and its players union since 1997 studying the medical science behind brain injury.

Concussions keep hockey players off ice for longer.