Green tea may negate the effects of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. ’s cancer medicine Velcade, researchers found, contrasting with studies that show the anti-cancer properties of green-tea products.

An antioxidant compound in the tea blocked and inactivated the drug’s ability to fight tumor cells in mice given the treatment, according to a summary of a study published yesterday in , the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Velcade, an intravenous drug also known by its chemical name bortezomib, is used to treat the blood-cancer multiple myeloma. Almost 20,000 new diagnoses of multiple myeloma were expected in the U.S. last year, and two-thirds of patients die within five years, according to the . The disease is incurable.

“Our surprising results indicate that green tea polyphenols may have the potential to negate the therapeutic efficacy of bortezomib,” said the ’s Axel Schoenthal, who led the research. The evidence is sufficient to urge patients using Velcade to refrain from green-tea products, the researcher wrote.


source:  Last Updated: February 3, 2009 21:15 EST