News snippets from the web

Snippets of news on my mind this week:

The buzz from ASCO (The ASCO Bump) continues for PF-02341066, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor with amazing phase-1 responses for those patients with lung cancer who have the ALK mutations — truly personalized medicine.
Mitomycin shortage is reaching critical levels, according to our pharmacy folks. Is it just me, or do these chemo drug shortages seem to affect mostly gastrointestinal cancers? (There goes my paranoia again.)
An FDA panel voted Tuesday to restrict acetaminophen access further. In a worst-case scenario, Tylenol might be prescription only or even taken off the market. A black box label also seems likely.
A retrospective cohort study indicates that insulin glargine may be linked with higher rates of cancer (here is the abstract if you want to look at the primary source).
In what I am sure will be controversial, the Wall Street Journal's health blog published an article asking, "New Cancer Drugs: Most Not Worth the Cost?"
Another thought-provoking grand rounds this week — this time from a scientist at Human Rights Watch, on inadequate pain control and palliative care as a human rights issue. When you consider the needless suffering taking place around the world as patients are not allowed reasonable access to opiates for fear of drug diversion, the weight of their pain leaves you breathless.