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Clinical Trial News

Smoking Poses Heightened Health Risks for HIV Patients, Studies Show

  • Recent studies reveal that people living with HIV who smoke lose more years of life from smoking than from HIV itself, with 50-70% of HIV-positive individuals being smokers.
  • Smoking significantly increases HIV patients' risk of opportunistic infections, cardiovascular disease, and medication complications, with up to 60% higher mortality rates observed in smokers.
  • Public health initiatives like Stoptober and e-cigarette adoption are being promoted as harm reduction strategies, with evidence showing e-cigarettes carry only 5% of tobacco's health risks.

FDA Draft Guidance Clarifies Requirements for Confirmatory Trials Under Accelerated Approval

  • The FDA has issued draft guidance on accelerated approval, focusing on when confirmatory trials must be 'underway'.
  • This guidance interprets 'underway' and details factors the FDA will consider before granting accelerated approval.
  • The guidance aims to ensure timely completion of confirmatory trials, as mandated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
  • Stakeholders can submit comments on the draft guidance until March 10, 2025, for consideration by the FDA.

Fulvestrant Shows Overall Survival Benefit Over Anastrozole in First-Line Advanced Breast Cancer

  • A phase II trial (FIRST) comparing fulvestrant 500 mg to anastrozole 1 mg in postmenopausal women with ER-positive advanced breast cancer showed a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS).
  • Patients treated with fulvestrant 500 mg had a median OS of 54.1 months compared to 48.4 months with anastrozole, representing a 30% reduction in mortality risk (HR 0.70, P=0.04).
  • The OS benefit with fulvestrant was generally consistent across pre-specified subgroups, and no new safety concerns were identified during the follow-up period.
  • These findings suggest fulvestrant 500 mg could be considered as a first-line treatment option for ER-positive advanced breast cancer, especially where access to other therapies is limited.

NICE Provisionally Approves BioMarin's Vimizim for Ultra-Rare Morquio Disease with Real-World Data Requirements

  • NICE has issued a provisional approval for BioMarin's Vimizim (elosulfase alfa), priced at £395,000 per patient annually, for treating the ultra-rare Morquio disease affecting 88 patients in England.
  • The approval is contingent on implementing real-world data collection and establishing a price cap, marking NICE's innovative approach to managing high-cost rare disease treatments.
  • The MPS Society welcomes the decision while expressing concerns about further delays in the approval process, as patients urgently await access to this life-changing therapy.

FDA Approves Two New Ustekinumab Biosimilars, Bringing Total US Biosimilar Count to 65

  • The FDA has approved Biocon's Yesintek (ustekinumab-kfce) and Celltrion's Steqeyma (ustekinumab-stba) in November and December 2024, expanding treatment options for autoimmune conditions including Crohn's disease and psoriasis.
  • Of the 65 FDA-approved biosimilars, 14 have received interchangeable designation, allowing pharmacists to substitute them for reference products without prescriber intervention, enhancing patient access to more affordable treatments.
  • The biosimilar landscape continues to evolve with products spanning five major classes: insulin, granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, TNF-alpha inhibitors, and VEGF inhibitors.

Ropeginterferon Alfa-2b Shows Promise in Polycythemia Vera Treatment

  • Ropeginterferon alfa-2b demonstrates a high overall response rate of 90% in polycythemia vera (PV) patients, including complete and partial hematologic responses.
  • The study found no dose-limiting toxicities with ropeginterferon alfa-2b, supporting its favorable safety profile and potential for long-term use.
  • Treatment with ropeginterferon alfa-2b led to significant reductions in JAK2 V617F allelic burden, indicating molecular responses in PV patients.
  • The research suggests that ropeginterferon alfa-2b could effectively normalize blood cell counts and prevent thromboembolic complications in PV patients.
NCT01193699CompletedPhase 1
AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG
Posted 8/1/2010

Europe Emerges as Leading Hub for Precision Medicine Innovation and Implementation

  • Europe's healthcare systems are rapidly adopting genomic medicine and personalized therapies, driven by collaboration among providers, payers, and pharmaceutical companies across the continent.
  • The convergence of advanced diagnostics, genetic analytics, and companion diagnostics has created a mature ecosystem for precision medicine delivery in everyday clinical practice.
  • European institutions' willingness to share platforms and data while maintaining security standards positions the continent to potentially surpass the US in precision medicine commercialization.

AstraZeneca Expands Immuno-Oncology Portfolio with Three Strategic Partnerships

  • AstraZeneca secures rights to Inovio's INO-3112, a DNA vaccine targeting HPV-related cancers, in a deal worth up to $727.5 million, planning combination studies with durvalumab.
  • MedImmune partners with Heptares on adenosine A2A receptor antagonist HTL-2071 for $510 million, aiming to enhance T-cell anti-cancer activity.
  • A collaboration with Mirati Therapeutics will explore combining durvalumab with HDAC inhibitor mocetinostat in non-small cell lung cancer trials starting next year.

India Revamps Clinical Trial Regulations to Align with Global Standards

  • India has significantly reformed its clinical trial regulations, extending SAE reporting timelines from 10 to 14 days to match international standards and streamlining the approval process.
  • The regulatory framework now requires trials to be evaluated based on risk-benefit assessment, innovation value, and unmet medical needs in the country, ensuring greater transparency.
  • New draft standards for accreditation of sites, investigators, and ethics committees have been introduced by CDSCO, aiming to enhance operational standards across clinical research.

Palbociclib Plus Letrozole Significantly Extends Progression-Free Survival in ER+ Breast Cancer

  • Palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, combined with letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in postmenopausal women with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.
  • The PALOMA-1/TRIO-18 phase II trial demonstrated a median PFS of 20.2 months with the palbociclib-letrozole combination, compared to 10.2 months with letrozole alone.
  • Palbociclib received accelerated FDA approval based on these results, pending confirmatory phase III trial outcomes, marking a significant advancement in targeted therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
  • Common adverse events associated with the combination therapy included neutropenia and leukopenia, manageable through dose modification and blood count monitoring.
NCT01976169CompletedPhase 1
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Posted 1/24/2014
NCT01723774Active, Not RecruitingPhase 2
Washington University School of Medicine
Posted 4/10/2013
NCT02389842Unknown StatusPhase 1
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Posted 3/25/2015
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