Lower Blenrep Dose More Feasible With Revlimid in Myeloma, Early Trial Suggests
A dose-finding study presented at the recent American Society of Hematology annual meeting showed deep and durable responses with belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep) plus lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, with lower dosing of the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) proving more tolerable and feasible. In this MedPage Today video, Rakesh Popat, BSc, […]
Potential Cure for Sickle Cell Clears Hurdle for Approval
An FDA advisory committee meeting on Tuesday did nothing to dispel expectations that the investigational agent exagamglogene autotemcel (exa-cel) will become the first approved gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD). Members of the Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee were not asked to vote on the agent’s efficacy or safety, but instead directed […]
Testing PD-1 Inhibition With Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2 Therapy in Breast Cancer
At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, researchers reported on a multicenter, phase II trial exploring the efficacy and safety of adding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to the standard-of-care treatment of paclitaxel (Taxol), trastuzumab (Herceptin), and pertuzumab (Perjeta; THP) in chemotherapy-naive patients with invasive, HER2-positive breast cancer. In this exclusive MedPage Today video, Jin […]
Weekly Exercise May Help Reduce Flu, Pneumonia Deaths
Meeting weekly exercise guidelines was associated with lower pneumonia and influenza mortality, a longitudinal study of U.S. adults showed. People who met both aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening activity guidelines had a 48% lower adjusted risk for pneumonia and influenza death over a median of 9.2 years of follow-up compared with those who met neither […]
FDA Flags Potential Guillain-Barre Risk With RSV Vaccine Candidates
Ahead of a 2-day meeting with FDA’s vaccine advisors, reviewers at the agency highlighted a rare but potential risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome with two vaccine candidates for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will recommend whether the risk-benefit profile with Pfizer and GSK’s vaccine […]
Opinion | Death Literacy Among Healthcare Professionals Is Dismal
During a recent meeting with our hospice team, several staff members raised concerns about the limited understanding of the signs of dying and appropriate interventions to care for patients at the end of life. This is a particular challenge in the facilities where our patients reside — nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In another […]
Proposed User Instructions for OTC Narcan Has FDA Concerned
Ahead of an advisory committee meeting, FDA staff highlighted ongoing concerns about labeling for what could possibly be the first naloxone (Narcan) product approved for over-the-counter (OTC) use, labeling it “essential” in the emergency setting of an overdose. At a joint meeting of the Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee and Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory […]
The Invisible Cost Of Caring For A Child With A Health Condition
When Brittany Martinez’s son was 1 year old, she and her husband noticed that he wasn’t meeting some developmental milestones. They had him evaluated, and he was diagnosed with autism. The diagnosis, Martinez told HuffPost, “has impacted every aspect of his life, and our life as a family, as my son is now 14 years […]
A Light at the End of the Tunnel for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer?
At the American Urological Association (AUA) meeting in New Orleans in May, there was seemingly a “light at the end of the tunnel” moment. Matthew Cooperberg, MD, MPH, a leading advocate for active surveillance (AS) from the University of California San Francisco, announced that the AUA’s own data from its AQUA registry showed that, for […]
AMA Debates Value of Natural Immunity to COVID
During the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates annual meeting, members debated whether natural immunity or previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 was sufficient for the merit of immunity credentials. Gregory Pinto, MD, a delegate from New York, called for policy recommending “that vaccination credentials be provided on the basis of natural immunity or previous SARS-CoV-2 […]