Benralizumab Matches Mepolizumab for Rare Vasculitis
WASHINGTON — Treatment with benralizumab (Fasenra) was noninferior to mepolizumab (Nucala) for relapsing or refractory eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), the randomized MANDARA trial showed. Among 140 patients receiving standard therapy, the adjusted percentage of patients with remission at weeks 36 and 48 was 59% in the benralizumab group and 56% in the mepolizumab group, […]
Radial Access a Toss Up for Stroke Thrombectomy
PHOENIX — Transradial access for endovascular thrombectomy was noninferior to standard transfemoral access, a single-center randomized trial showed. The rate of recanalization success was 87.9% (51 of 58) with transfemoral access and 96.6% (56 of 58) with transradial access, with an adjusted risk difference of 3.3% and a lower bound of -5.0% that fell within […]
Single Dose of Antibiotic Cured Early Syphilis, Even in Those With HIV
BOSTON — One dose of benzathine penicillin G for the treatment of early syphilis was shown to be noninferior to a regimen of three weekly doses a week apart, even among people who are living with HIV, a randomized trial showed. At 6 months among patients with and without HIV, the cumulative response was 76% […]
Subcutaneous Ocrelizumab Not Inferior to IV Infusion
MILAN — An investigational 10-minute subcutaneous injection of ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) was non-inferior to the established IV infusion formulation of the drug in multiple sclerosis (MS), the phase III OCARINA II trial showed. During the first 12 weeks of treatment, blood levels of ocrelizumab — measured as the area under the serum concentration time curve (AUC) […]
Transfascial Mesh Fixation During Complex Hernia Repairs: To Skip or Not to Skip?
Not fixating the mesh in open retromuscular ventral hernia repair (RVHR) was noninferior to fixation, a single-center clinical trial found. Hernia recurrence rates at 1 year were similar between the transfascial suture fixation group versus the no fixation group (7.4% vs 9.2%, respectively, P=0.70), according to Ajita Prabhu, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Center in […]
No Increase in Major Cardiac Events With Testosterone-Replacement Therapy
CHICAGO — Testosterone-replacement therapy was noninferior to placebo in the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events among men with hypogonadism and established or high risk for cardiovascular disease, the randomized TRAVERSE trial showed. At a mean follow-up of 33 months, the primary cardiovascular endpoint — first occurrence of any component of a composite of death […]
New Antiviral Option for CMV Prophylaxis After Kidney Transplant
Letermovir (Prevymis) proved noninferior to valganciclovir (Valcyte), the standard of care, in a clinical trial of cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in high-risk kidney transplant patients, researchers reported. In a phase III trial of 589 patients randomized 1:1 to receive either drug for up to 200 days post-transplant, the prevalence of CMV disease at 1 year was […]
Immediate Complete Revascularization Non-Inferior to Staged Procedure
NEW ORLEANS – Immediate complete revascularization was non-inferior to staged complete revascularization in patients who presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel disease, according to BIOVASC trial findings. In the prospective, open-label study, the composite primary outcome occurred in 7.6% of 764 patients in the immediate complete revascularization group and in 9.4% of 761 […]
Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Proves Mettle in Minor Stroke
DALLAS — Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) proved non-inferior to IV alteplase in Chinese patients with minor non-disabling stroke, a researcher reported. In the ARAMIS trial of patients with acute minor stroke who presented within 4.5 hours of onset, and had no “clearly disabling deficit,” functional outcome was similar between the two methods, according to Thanh […]
Upfront Transplant Prevails Again in Newly Diagnosed Myeloma
An immunomodulatory-free carfilzomib (Kyprolis)-based triplet regimen failed to prove non-inferior to autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) for the upfront treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, a randomized trial from the U.K. found. The open-label phase II CARDAMON study included nearly 300 patients, with 57.7% achieving at least a very good partial response (VGPR) with the […]