Woodcliff Lake, NJ - Strativa Pharmaceuticals today announced that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement according to which they have gained the commercialization rights in the United States and its territories to ONCONASE® (ranpirnase) from Alfacell.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously granted ONCONASE orphan drug status and fast-track development status for its use in treating malignant mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. ONCONASE is now in Phase III development for mesothelioma treatment.

According to the agreement, Strativa will initially pay $5 million to Alfacell. Alfacell will receive another $30 million (upon FDA approval of ONCONASE) and milestone payments on future sales. Alfacell will retain the right to co-promote ONCONASE in the future as well.

ONCONASE® (ranpirnase) is a single peptide chain which contains 104 amino acids. It is a naturally occurring ribonuclease isolated from the leopard frog (Rana pipiens) which has shown antitumor activity in patients with malignant mesothelioma. It triggers the natural death of cancer cells without killing normal cells.

John A. MacPhee, president of Strativa said that they were excited to be partnering with an innovative biopharmaceutical company like Alfacell to meet the treatment needs of asbestos victims.

“Adding ONCONASE to Strativa’s product portfolio as our first oncology therapeutic advances our goal of becoming a leading specialty pharmaceutical company. We are looking forward to collaborating on future projects with Alfacell,” he said.

Strativa Pharmaceuticals is the proprietary products division of Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., a company dedicated to developing and marketing novel prescription drugs.

Queens -  A tractor-trailer carrying asbestos has flipped on its side on the Clearview expressway in Queens
 
The accident happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
 
Asbestos debris has been spilled onto the roadway. Northbound lanes near the Long Island Expressway are closed while workers are cleaning the area.
 
Though the cause of the accident is still unknown, some reports say that the truck hit a divider on the expressway and overturned on the expressway, spilling asbestos onto the way.
 
Hazmat crews rushed to the scene for cleaning up the debris.
 
Police says that the truck’s driver has fled on foot.

Currently there are no injuries reported relating to the incident.

Tennessee Supreme Court Tuesday heard the case of the death of Amanda Satterfield of Blount County regarding the issue whether the case should go for trial.

Each party were allowed 30 minutes to present the case before the five judges of the court and answer the questions of the judges.

Amanda’s father Doug Satterfield was present in the court at East Tennessee for pursuing the case against Alcoa on his daughter’s behalf.

“My daughter didn’t choose to die from mesothelioma. She was innocent and had no part in it. Alcoa’s negligence is the only reason behind her death,” he said.

Doug Satterfield was working at Alcoa where he was exposed to asbestos.

“I daily went home with asbestos dust on my clothes. My poor daughter was exposed to it and we had no clue about the hazards caused by this,” he said.

Amanda passed away 3 years ago after diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer and the only known reason for this deadly disease is exposure to asbestos.

John Lucas, an attorney for Alcoa said that the company’s legal responsibility is limited to actual employees.

“There’s no legal relationship between Amanda Satterfield or any other third party and Alcoa. The company has no legal responsibility towards the families of their employees,” he said.

“Allowing family members to file suit will open the door for neighbors, carpool buddies, waiters, and anybody who come in contact with an asbestos-exposed employee. So, it’s ridiculous,” Lucas argued.

Lucas showed a chart of concentric circles to prove his claim.

Satterfield’s lawyer Greg Coleman said it’s reasonable to extend the legal responsibility of the company to immediate family members whom workers interact with every day.

“We know that Alcoa doesn’t have a duty to everyone in the universe. We are not saying that the legal responsibility applies to everyone but certainly to the family. They were aware that Doug Satterfield would go home. So they must also know that a duty should extend for that as well,” Coleman said.

The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on the issue within two months.

New York Supreme Court Justice Marcy S. Friedman ruled to award a total of 9 million dollars to compensate two asbestos victims and their wives. The two cases of Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Casale had been merged for a single trial before downtown New York City jury.

Mr. Rosenberg was an  life-long electrician in New York with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 3.

Rosenberg started his career in 1960 when he was a teenager. He was exposed to asbestos while working in New York as an electrician. He developed malignant mesothelioma during his retirement while living in New Jersey and died when he was 64.

Rosenberg claimed that he developed the disease from a variety of sources such as cutting, sawing and skinning of wire and cable that was insulated with asbestos while he was working in New York worksites including the Vista Hotel in the Financial District, the Arthur Kill Powerhouse in Staten Island, the Deutsche Bank Building and the Cross Bay Bridge

The jury awarded a total of $4 million dollars in the Rosenberg case. $3 million was awarded for Mr. Rosenberg’s pain and suffering and $1 million for Mrs. Rosenberg’s loss of service and society.

The New York City jury returned a verdict against Alpha Wire Company, et. al, the manufacturer of asbestos-containing power cable. This is the first verdict against a commercial setting cable manufacturer in the history of asbestos litigation in New York.

Mr. Casale, 66, is still living with mesothelioma. He was a pipe fitter in New York. Mr. Casale worked at shipyards, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He worked in the steam fitter (pipe fitter) trade at job sites in New York City throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Though he was moved to Florida later, his mesothelioma diagnosis was linked to the asbestos exposure when he was in New York.

A total of 5 million dollars was awarded in Casale’s case. 1.5 million for the pain and suffering of Mr. Casale up to the date of the verdict; 1.5 million for his future pain and suffering; 1 million for Mrs. Casale’s loss of service and society up to the date of the verdict; and 1 million for her future loss of service and society.

Fowler – Fowler town has been granted $25,000 for removing asbestos from Fowler Elementary School which has been vacant since year 2006.
 
The school’s future remains undecided still. Asbestos will be removed from the older portion of the building which will be demolished further.
 
Superintendent Steve Wittenauer said that the $25,000 grant for asbestos clean-up is the first step.
 
“Next thing is whether this $400,000 grant for asbestos abatement would be approved,” he said.
 
Fowler and Oxford elementary school students were merged into the new Prairie Crossing Elementary School in 2006 and the old school was closed.
 
“The grant, from the Finance Authority of Indiana, will cover the expense of asbestos clean up,” School corporation attorney Jud Barce said.
  
“In May, the school will apply for a larger grand from the same group. We hope that grant will cover the demolition costs,” he said.
 
The estimated demolition cost is approximately $400,000.
  
“We are attempting to get our ducks in a row. We know very well what will go in when we submit the grant. People who give money like to know the use as well,” Barce said.
 
“I am planning to approach the new Oxford Town Council at its first meeting in January and discuss what they would like to see done with the property. We want to make sure it’s a positive experience,” he added.
 
Town of Fowler and the Fowler American Legion Post 57 are interested to buy and reuse the space. These two groups will meet with the school board again in February and discuss the deal.
 
Fowler is planning to install a community center where as the American Legion hopes to shift its operations to the newer addition on the building. In any case, the building is required to be demolished totally.

Seven Amherst employees who were exposed to asbestos earlier this month during a demolition work complained that the town should have done more to protect them from the carcinogenic substance.

The work was going on as a part of a million upgrade to the town’s Sewage Treatment Plant.

However, the town officials say that they have since sealed off the asbestos-contaminated area and that no plant administrators were initially aware of the asbestos presence in some concrete pipes in the building.

Jeffrey Bur- roughs, a Town Engineer said that the employees were doing the job as a part of a project to replace some failing filters at the treatment plant.

“There is a backwash pipe assembly attached to each filter. It is made of concrete pipe containing asbestos. A crew spent some time to take out the pipe before realizing the presence of the carcinogen,” he said.

Responding to the complaints of workers, Burroughs said that none of the plant managers were aware of the asbestos containing pipe until it was realized during the job.

“Asbestos concrete pipe is buried usually,” he said.

“None expected it to be above ground where it was exposed to air. Hindsight is always 20/20. I’m a little upset at myself for missing it,” Burroughs added. “I agree that what happened is an honest mistake. I am planning to hold another meeting with asbestos removal contractor and workers to discuss the issue further.”

Town Board had approved to hire a licensed asbestos abatement contractor for $16,482.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration may charge a Kansas City hospital with $84,000 federal fine for exposing some of the hospital workers to potentially carcinogenic asbestos.

 The findings released Thursday by OSHA accuse the Research Medical Center of serious as well as willful asbestos safety violations. The hospital has 15 days to respond.

 The hospital may dispute the findings or pay the penalty or seek a lower fine.

 “After receiving OSHA’s report, we have notified 85 workers that they had been possibly exposed to asbestos during an expansion project,” hospital spokeswoman Linda Morris Shaffer said.

 Ms Shaffer told that none of the employees, who were exposed to the carcinogen during the project, had undergone medical check-ups to find the exposure.

 “The medical centre has a comprehensive plan that includes asbestos removal in the areas identified by OSHA. Our officials are attempting to decide what else requires to be addressed concerning the carcinogen,” she said.

 OSHA area director Barb Theriot thinks some visitors also might have been exposed to asbestos.

 “We are not sure if whether hospital patients and visitors had been exposed. Our investigation covers only employee exposure,” he said.

 “Asbestos is a material that crumbles easily, which allows the hazardous asbestos fibers to become airborne. The fibers can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and other respiratory problems if inhaled. The symptoms of these diseases may not appear for 10-40 years after the initial exposure,” Theriot said.

 The report released by OSHA states that the asbestos-containing material was in a a vinyl wall covering with gray felt backing.

 According to the report, asbestos was present in hallways, a boiler room, an X-ray control room and many other places. The report accuses that the hospital was aware of the the amount and locations of the asbestos dating back to at least September 2006.

 Workers exposed during the project includes operating engineers who worked in the boiler room and a housekeeper and floor technician who cleaned patient-care areas, the report says.

The Community Development Corp. of Kansas City (CDC-KC), a developer of a large retail and residential project in Kansas City, has been fined $450,000 for violation of asbestos regulations.

CDC reached the settlement with Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon after they were charged for improperly removing asbestos during demolition at the Citadel Plaza Redevelopment Project at 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue.

The charges were brought by the state of Missouri and Kansas City. They filed a lawsuit against CDC-KC for tearing down more than 100 homes and burying tons of asbestos-containing materials at the construction site. According to the law-suit, tons of asbestos debris were left lying around the neighborhood where children often played.

The Department of Natural Resources had sent the CDC-KC five violation notices for not preparing and containing asbestos in December 2006 before work started on the proposed retail center.

According to the settlement, CDC-KC should spend $100,000 on grants to help other developers in urban Kansas City with cleaning up asbestos materials from some residential properties they are planning to develop. Additionally, Citadel Plaza Redevelopment Project must include various energy-saving projects in its development.

“The other projects that are part of this settlement will have environmental advantages that go far beyond this specific asbestos situation,” Nixon said.

HELENA - A 15-judge federal appeals court today heard an appeal filed by W.R. Grace and Company. The argument was on a ruling against the company in the asbestos case filed by the government.

W.R. Grace and Company is a Columbia, Maryland, United States based chemical conglomerate (a business group composed of a large number of firms with diverse and often unrelated interests). A three-judge panel had allowed some government witnesses to testify against the chemical giant. The company asked for the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review this ruling earlier this year.

The request was granted and the federal appeals court heard arguments on the issue this afternoon.

Principal activity of W.R. Grace and Company is to manufacture and sell specialty chemicals and materials. Grace has more than 6,400 employees in nearly 40 countries, and annual sales of more than $2.5 billion.

The company lost a bid last week, which challenged another court decision that allowed one of the indictments by the government to stand. The court refused to review a ruling by a three-judge panel against Grace, which upheld the government’s accusation of ‘knowing endangerment’.

In 2005, a suit indicted Grace and seven of its former managers, one of whom died in February, on charges of conspiring to conceal health risks posed years ago by the company’s Libby vermiculite mine, closed since 1990.

It’s unclear when a decision will be made on the issue.

FORT WORTH - Most of the apartments in a Fort Worth neighborhood are asbestos-filled and worn down. They need to be torn down.

However, both the method of demolition and the motivation behind it are being questioned the demolition day in Woodhaven.

Though all want the complex to be demolished, a state representative has made an allegation of environmental racism.

The issue is that the apartments contain asbestos. Inhaling it’s small fibres often cause a deadly cancer and other diseases.

It is said that EPA is going to use an experimental method - a method that has never been tried by the agency in a residential area - on one of the buildings.

Lon Burnam, a Texas state Representative says that such a test is acceptable for a diverse neighborhood like Woodhaven.

“The only instance I’ve heard of an experiment was at an abandoned army base. It’s a totally different issue,” he said.

In the new method, the building is soaked with treated water, then workers tear it down and remove everything including asbestos carefully.

In ordinary method, asbestos is taken out before the wrecking ball comes in which reduces the risk of asbestos fibres becoming airborne.

“I wonder why Woodhaven, a distinct neighborhood struggling with crime and economics, is the test case,” Burnam said.

“This is a perfect example of environmental racism,” he added.

Burnam said that they have asked Brian Boerner, Fort Worth’s environmental management director, if there is some other city they could go do this in.

“Probably, there is. Anyway, it was an idea that came up 12 years ago and was proposed to the EPA,” Boerner said.

“The method is safe,” Boerner added.