Kerryn McCann died at her home near Wollongong on the New South Wales south coast overnight - she is survived by her husband Greg and their children Benton (11), Josie (5) and Cooper (14 months).
McCann who won Commonwealth gold medals in the marathon at Melbourne in 2006 and Manchester in 2002 gave a particularly memorable performance at the Melbourne Games in a nail biting duel with Kenyan Hellen Cherono over the last three kilometres when McCann pulled out all the stops as they approached the MCG and seized victory in closing 300m to retain the title she won in Manchester.
McCann first revealed she had been stricken with breast cancer while pregnant with her third child and developed secondary cancer in her liver in May.
McCann's manager, Nic Bideau, says she died early today, following a decision to stop treatment because she had become too weak and he has paid tribute to the "fantastic race" run by McCann in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Bideau, says McCann was really highly regarded in the running community and encouraged him to take on younger runners and was an inspiration to many runners.
McCann and Jane McGrath, wife of the Australian fast bowler Glenn, gave each other support through their personal cancer battles.
Mrs McGrath died in June.
Levels of Factor Xa activity were identical in both treatment groups throughout the six-month study. Of the 52 idrabiotaparinux patients re-randomized to receive avadin or placebo, 41 were analyzed for reversal of Factor Xa activity (23 received avidin and 18 received placebo). At the end of the 30-minute infusion of avidin, mean anti-Factor Xa activity was reduced by 77.8 percent and was sustained for at least five days as compared with 2.4 percent for the placebo group. The infusion of avidin was well-tolerated with no allergic reactions observed.
Randomized, Parallel Group, Multicenter, Multinational Study Evaluating Safety of DU-176b Compared With Warfarin in Subjects With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation [Abstract #33] Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD, Henderson Research Centre, Hamilton, Canada
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of four dosing regimens of DU-176b in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. This phase II study found that two regimens (30 mg and 60 mg once-daily) of an investigational oral Factor Xa inhibitor, DU-176b, are safe in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, making the drug a potential substitute for warfarin, the conventional blood-thinning agent used in such patients to prevent stroke.
Dosing of warfarin is complicated because it interacts with many commonly-used medications and even certain foods. For that reason, patients receiving warfarin require regular blood testing to monitor the international normalized ratio (INR) to ensure that an adequate yet safe dose of warfarin is given.
A total of 1,146 patients with atrial fibrillation were randomized to receive either one of four fixed-dose regimens of DU-176b (30 mg once-daily, 30 mg twice-daily, 60 mg once-daily, 60 mg twice-daily) or warfarin (dose-adjusted to a target INR of 2.0 to 3.0) for 12 weeks. The primary endpoints of the study were the incidence of bleeding events (major and clinically relevant non-major) and elevated liver enzymes and/or bilirubin, which might be indicative of hepatic toxicity. Secondary endpoints included major adverse cardiovascular events, stroke, systemic embolism, acute myocardial infarction, hospitalizations due to cardiovascular conditions, or cardiovascular death.
The incidence of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding events was significantly higher in the 30 mg and 60 mg twice-daily DU-176b regimens than it was in patients given warfarin (7.8 percent, 10.6 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively). In contrast, the incidence of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding events with the 30 and 60 mg once-daily DU-176b regimens was comparable to that with warfarin (3.0 percent, 3.8 percent, and 3.2 percent, respectively). There were no significant differences in patients with elevated liver enzymes or bilirubin across all treatment groups, and there were no significant differences in the rates of secondary endpoints.
Once-Daily Oral Rivaroxaban Compared With Subcutaneous Enoxaparin Every 12 Hours for Thromboprophylaxis After Total Knee Replacement: RECORD4 [Abstract #35] Alexander G.G. Turpie, MD, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
This study concluded that investigational rivaroxaban, an oral Factor Xa inhibitor, is more efficacious than a current standard of therapy, enoxaparin, for the prevention of venous thromboembolism following total knee replacement surgery without significantly increasing the risk of bleeding. Coupled with previous research that demonstrated that post-operative rivaroxaban was more effective than pre-operative enoxaparin in preventing deep-vein clotting, along with an easier method of administration (oral versus subcutaneous injection), this study may change the way physicians prevent serious blood clots in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery.
In this study, a total of 3,148 patients were randomized to receive either once-daily oral rivaroxaban (10 mg) starting six to eight hours after surgery or twice-daily subcutaneous injections of enoxaparin beginning 12 to 24 hours after surgery for 10 to 14 days. Patients underwent mandatory, bilateral venography (X-ray of the vein) between days 11 and 15.
The primary endpoint of the study was the combined occurrences of deep-vein thrombosis, non-fatal pulmonary embolism, and all-cause mortality up to day 17. The main safety endpoint was major bleeding observed after one dose of the drug until two days after the end of treatment. Efficacy was determined first by a test for non-inferiority in the per-protocol population of 1,702 patients, followed by a test for superiority in the intention-to-treat population of 1,924 patients.
The results indicated that rivaroxaban significantly reduced the incidence of adverse events (the combination of blood clots and death) by 31 percent as compared with enoxaparin, with no significant increase in the rate of major bleeding events. Rivaroxaban and enoxaparin appeared equally effective at preventing major venous blood clots and pulmonary embolism.
hematology/