Treatment with Opdivo (nivolumab) after surgery significantly reduces the risk of disease recurrence or death in people with high-risk, muscle-invasive urothelial cancer — a form of bladder cancer — an interim analysis from a Phase 3 trial shows. The CheckMate -274 (NCT02632409) met its primary goals of extended disease-free survival both in the overall population and…
Category: Cancer
European Commission OKs Lynparza for Metastatic CRPC With BRCA Mutations
The European Commission has approved Lynparza (olaparib) to treat people with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who carry mutations in the DNA repair genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. The approval follows a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), an arm of the European Medicines Agency. “This approval in the EU is a landmark…
Lynparza Combo Approved in EU as First-line Maintenance for Advanced Ovarian Cancer
The European Commission has approved Lynparza (olaparib), in combination with bevacizumab, as a first-line maintenance therapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer positive for homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and who responded to platinum-based chemotherapy. This indication also includes patients with advanced fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal cancer. Eligible HRD-positive tumors are those carrying mutations in…
New Nirogacestat Combos to Enter Myeloma Trials, SpringWorks Says
SpringWorks Therapeutics announced new collaborations with two companies, Pfizer and Janssen, to investigate its oral therapy candidate nirogacestat in combination with BCMA-targeting agents to treat people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The collaboration with Pfizer aims to test nirogacestat plus PF‐06863135 in a Phase 1b/2 trial, while SpringWorks and Janssen will launch a Phase 1 trial investigating…
Opdivo-Yervoy-Chemo Combo Approved in EU for Advanced NSCLC
The European Commission has approved a combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) plus two cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that contain no mutations in the EGFR or ALK genes. The approval follows a positive recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a…
Athenex Oncology Offers Free ‘Evidenced-based’ Lifestyle Guide for MBC Patients
A new Athenex Oncology guide offers evidence-based lifestyle suggestions to metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients to help improve their quality of life. The free booklet, called “Your Guide to Facing Metastatic Breast Cancer,” is touted as a first-of-its-kind resource. Its recommendations include building physical and emotional resilience, maintaining a healthful diet, getting enough sleep, lowering…
Potential Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Named Orphan Drug by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to CellProtect, an investigational therapy for multiple myeloma that uses a person’s immune cells to help combat cancer. This designation is given to therapies with the potential to improve medical care for rare disorders, defined as those that affect fewer than 200,000 people…
Tecentriq-Avastin Combo Approved in Europe for Advanced or Inoperable Liver Cancer
The European Commission has approved the combination of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) as a first-line treatment for adults with advanced or inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. This decision follows the recommendation of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), a branch of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Tecentriq-Avastin…
Hold Lifted on Phase 1 Trial Testing P-PSMA-101 CAR T-cell Therapy in mCRPC
A Phase 1 trial evaluating Poseida Therapeutics’ autologous CAR T-cell therapy P-PSMA-101 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is resuming immediately, after its clinical hold was lifted. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had placed a partial hold on the trial in August, after a patient died of liver failure a few weeks after…
First Patient Dosed in Phase 2 Study of Cancer Vaccine Combination in Ovarian Cancer
The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2 extension study investigating the cancer vaccine DSP-7888 (ombipepimut-S) in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab), in people with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The announcement follows promising data from the first portion of this Phase 1b/2 clinical trial (NCT03311334). The Phase 2 part is actively recruiting…