Topical Gel Soothes Skin Rash for CRC Patients on EGFR Inhibitors
The use of an investigational topical BRAF-inhibiting gel appeared to be effective in treating acneiform rash in patients with advanced colorectal cancer who were treated with an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted drug, a randomized phase II trial showed. The 39 patients randomly assigned to receive a high-dose 0.1% formulation of LUT014 gel were twice […]
Once-Weekly ART Showed Similar Efficacy for HIV as Daily ART
DENVER — A once-weekly oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen of the investigational drug islatravir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, with lenacapavir (Sunlenca) showed similar efficacy to daily oral ART in people with HIV, a phase II randomized study showed. The virologic suppression rate was 94.2% in both the patients who received the weekly regimen […]
Investigational Agent Shows Benefit in Myasthenia Gravis
The investigational monoclonal antibody batoclimab led to significant improvement in activities of daily living in people with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), a multicenter phase III trial found. The rate of sustained improvement on Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) scores for antibody-positive patients in the first treatment cycle was 58.2% in the batoclimab group […]
Oral Drug Gains Steam as On-Demand Option for Hereditary Angioedema Attacks
WASHINGTON — The investigational oral drug sebetralstat provided on-demand relief during tissue swelling attacks from hereditary angioedema (HAE), a phase III study showed. Following self-administration, time to the beginning of symptom relief was reduced from a median 6.7 hours with placebo to 1.6 hours with a 300-mg dose of the plasma kallikrein inhibitor (P<0.0001) and […]
Investigational Immunotherapy Combo Shows Promise for Advanced Solid Tumors
An investigational combination of CTLA-4 and PD‐1 checkpoint inhibitors demonstrated “encouraging” tumor activity, as well as a manageable safety profile, in patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors, according to results from a small phase I study. Among 61 patients with different solid tumors who were evaluated for efficacy, 37.7% achieved an objective response to treatment with […]
Novel Antibiotic Combo Bests Meropenem for Complicated UTIs
Cefepime-taniborbactam, an investigational beta-lactam and beta-lactamase inhibitor combination, was superior to meropenem for the treatment of hospitalized patients with complicated urinary tract infection (UTI), including acute pyelonephritis, a phase III randomized study showed. In the microbiologic intention-to-treat (ITT) population, the composite microbiologic and clinical success rate with the combination at test-of-cure (trial days 19 to […]
Psychedelics for Psych Conditions Made Their Mark in 2023
In January, we reported on an investigational psychedelic that alleviated symptoms of depression in a mid-stage trial. In this report, we follow up on what has happened since that study was published. In the phase IIa trial, an investigational N,N-dimethyltryptamine treatment — commonly known as the hallucinogen DMT — significantly reduced depressive symptoms by 7.4 […]
Can a GLP-1 Agonist Improve Parkinson’s Symptoms?
An investigational brain-penetrant, pegylated analogue of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) known as NLY01 did not lead to improvement in Parkinson’s disease symptoms compared with placebo, a phase II trial showed. Neither 2.5 mg or 5.0 mg of weekly NLY01 injections showed any difference from placebo in the sum of Movement […]
‘End of This Phase’: Trial Halts Testing of HIV Vaccine Candidates
The PrEPVacc trial has stopped administering two investigational HIV vaccines that showed no efficacy in preventing infection, investigators announced on Wednesday during the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa in Zimbabwe. “Vaccinations to PrEPVacc trial participants have been stopped because an analysis of the data collected so far by our Independent Data Monitoring […]
Antisense Drug Trial Provides Key Insights About Huntington’s Disease
The halted GENERATION HD1 (GENHD1) study of the investigational antisense drug tominersen provided insights about Huntington’s disease staging and informed future clinical trials, researchers said. The phase III study involved 791 manifest Huntington’s disease patients who received intrathecal tominersen 120 mg either every 8 weeks or every 16 weeks, or placebo. Based on an overall […]