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 […]
Novel Hepatitis E Vaccine Protects for at Least a Decade
A three-dose vaccine regimen prevented hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections with high efficacy in adults over the course of 10 years, a phase III trial from China found. The HEV239 vaccine, sold under the name Hecolin outside the U.S., had an efficacy rate of 83.1% (95% CI 69.4-91.4) in the study’s modified intention-to-treat analysis and […]
Immunotherapy May Hold Promise for Skin Cancers After Kidney Transplant
The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors given as part of an immunosuppressive regimen for kidney transplant recipients with advanced cutaneous cancers may be effective and safe, depending on the regimen, two small studies suggested. In the first study among 12 kidney transplant recipients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) who were treated with cemiplimab […]
No Aspirin Needed After LVAD, ARIES-HM3 Trial Says
PHILADELPHIA — Dropping aspirin from the antithrombotic regimen after HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation appeared safer than the usual combination approach in the ARIES-HM3 trial. Atop warfarin or other vitamin K antagonist therapy, placebo was noninferior to low-dose aspirin for the primary composite endpoint of survival free of stroke, pump thrombosis, major […]
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% […]
Adding Regorafenib in First-Line ‘Promising’ in Gastric Cancer
Adding regorafenib (Stivarga) to a standard first-line chemoimmunotherapy regimen for HER2-negative metastatic esophagogastric cancer demonstrated “promising” activity in a single-arm phase II study, according to researchers. Among 35 evaluable patients treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) and FOLFOX chemotherapy, 25 (71%, 95% CI 54-85) remained progression free at 6 months, thus […]
Possible Role for Ipilimumab in Metastatic Bladder Cancer, Study Suggests
A tailored immunotherapy regimen using nivolumab (Opdivo) induction and “boosts” with nivolumab and high-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) as second-line treatment for metastatic urothelial cancer was associated with higher response rates compared with historical controls, the phase II TITAN-TCC trial showed. Among 83 patients in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, a confirmed investigator-assessed objective response occurred in 33% […]
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 […]
Skipping Antiplatelets Altogether Not Such a Bad Idea for Select TAVR Patients
Following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the optimal antithrombotic regimen for some people may be no antithrombotics at all, according to provocative registry data from Japan. Compared with the single antiplatelet (SAPT) or dual antiplatelet (DAPT) approaches for TAVR patients without any other indications for antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy, the non-antithrombotic strategy was not associated […]
High Rates of pCR With Novel Neoadjuvant Combination for Breast Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — A novel neoadjuvant regimen for HER2-negative breast cancer doubled the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate as compared with standard chemotherapy, a small phase II study showed. Across various breast cancer receptor signatures, pCR rates ranged from 36% to 53% with the combination of paclitaxel, the PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab (Libtayo), and the investigational […]