Alternative Endpoints in Phase III Trials Don’t Always Mean Boosts to OS, QOL
CHICAGO — Late-phase trials that showed superiority for an experimental intervention on a surrogate endpoint did not necessarily lead to improvements in overall survival (OS) or quality of life (QOL), according to a meta-epidemiologic analysis. Alexander Dean Sherry, MD of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues evaluated 791 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) […]
Spinal Delivery of Gene Therapy Promising for Neurodegenerative Disease
Gene therapy delivered for the first time via lumbar puncture showed promise of benefit in slowing progression of giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) in a phase I clinical trial. The slope of change in motor function went from -7.17 percentage points per year before treatment to -0.54 percentage points with the lowest dose to an improvement […]
New Study Reveals The 1 Simple, Free Activity That Can Improve Mental Health In Minutes
Maki Nakamura via Getty Images A new study showed that teens’ anxiety levels decreased after time in a natural setting. You may have noticed that after a few minutes in the woods, on the lake’s shore or at the river’s edge, you begin to feel… better. More calm, relaxed and at peace. The connection between […]
Novel CAR-T for Glioblastoma Induced ‘Dramatic’ Responses in Early Trial
A new approach to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy showed promise in treating recurrent glioblastoma, according to a small phase I study. In the first-in-human trial, three patients with recurrent glioblastoma who were treated with CARv3-TEAM-E T cells experienced “dramatic and rapid” tumor regression within days of receiving a single intraventricular infusion, reported Marcela […]
Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, Oral PrEP Safe for HIV Prevention in Pregnancy
DENVER — The monthly dapivirine ring to reduce risk of HIV in women showed similar safety outcomes as oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) when used throughout the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, according to a phase IIIb open-label trial in sub-Saharan Africa. Premature births occurred in 4% of those with the ring, compared with 6% […]
Latest COVID Shots Protect Against Serious Outcomes
The recently updated COVID vaccines showed protection against serious virus-related outcomes in immunocompetent adults, data from the CDC’s IVY and VISION networks showed. From September 2023 to January 2024, vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-related emergency department or urgent care encounters landed at 47% (95% CI 44-50), while protection against hospitalizations associated with the coronavirus ranged […]
Another Prostate Cancer Screening Candidate Outperforms Standard PSA Testing
SAN FRANCISCO — A multiparametric blood test for prostate cancer showed potential to avoid more than half of unnecessary biopsies without sacrificing accuracy, a large prospective study showed. In a comparison against the current PSA testing standard of ≥4 ng/mL, the Stockholm3 biomarker, which incorporates a PSA cutoff of 15 ng/mL with other proteins and […]
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, […]
‘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 […]
TULSA Effective in Controlling Prostate Cancer Long-Term
WASHINGTON — Results from a long-term follow-up of the pivotal TACT trial showed that MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) was effective and durable in men with localized prostate cancer. The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at 5 years was 0.63 ng/mL — a 90% reduction from the median PSA at baseline, reported Scott Eggener, MD, […]