Alzheimer’s Protection May Come From Cancer-Linked Stem Cell Mutations

Stat: Mutations Tied To Blood Cancers May Protect Against Alzheimer's 
When key mutations strike bone marrow stem cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells, your risk for a litany of diseases go up. “Heart attacks, strokes, more recently COPD, osteoporosis,” Siddhartha Jaiswal, a pathology researcher at Stanford University, rattled off. “And you’re at higher risk of blood cancers in the future. They’re the first hit on the path to cancer.” These mutations are almost universally bad, Jaiswal said in an interview with STAT. But in a new study, Jaiswal found that these same genetic changes might actually protect against Alzheimer’s disease, startling researchers who reviewed the work and raising questions as to how such pathological mutations could prevent the devastating neurodegenerative disorder. (Chen, 12/12)

In other news about cancer —

Stat: Roche Antibody Posts Strong Tumor Responses In Lymphoma Study
An off-the-shelf bispecific antibody developed by Roche induced high and durable response rates in patients with a slow-growing type of lymphoma — study results that are likely to secure the treatment’s approval and help it rival a custom-made CAR-T therapy. The study enrolled 90 patients, all of whom were given intravenous infusions of the Roche drug, called mosunetuzumab. Complete remissions were reported in 54 patients, or 60%, meaning their disease was undetectable. The overall response rate was 80% with median duration of response lasting nearly 23 months. (Feuerstein, 12/12)

Stat: Gilead, Bristol Jaw Over Superiority Of CAR-T Treatments For Blood Cancer
Competing, bespoke CAR-T cell therapies from Gilead Sciences and Bristol Myers Squibb have each demonstrated additional benefit for patients with B-cell lymphoma at an earlier stage of treatment than they’re used for currently. But is one better than the other? Results from the successful clinical trials, dubbed ZUMA-7 and TRANSFORM by Gilead and Bristol, respectively, are being presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Collectively, the data are likely to expand the use of these CAR-T therapies — Gilead’s Yescarta and Bristol’s Breyanzi — and deliver larger sales for both companies. (Feuerstein, 12/11)

Stat: J&J's New CAR-T Therapy, Cilta-Cel, Shows Long-Term Success, Data Show
By the time patients with multiple myeloma have gone through four or five different therapies, the outlook for any new treatment is dim. Most interventions offer these patients only a scant few more months of life. But new data on a Janssen CAR-T therapy called cilta-cel suggests the treatment might help halt progression of the disease for nearly two years. “That, for our patients, is something that we’ve never seen before from any other single agent,” said Krina Patel, an oncologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center who has served on an advisory board for Janssen but did not work on cilta-cel. “We might get a few months for most patients with a new agent, but 21.8 months without any therapy is fantastic.” (Chen, 12/12)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Stat: Patients With Beta-Thalassemia Benefit From Bluebird Gene Therapy 
People with severe beta-thalassemia who live in Europe have been denied access to Bluebird Bio’s approved gene therapy after the company withdrew it from the market last April. European health systems balked at the nearly $2 million price tag for the gene therapy called Zynteglo, and when negotiations broke down, Bluebird walked away. But Saturday, Bluebird relied largely on European patients enrolled in its beta-thalassemia clinical trials to demonstrate the successful, long-term durability of Zynteglo. The juxtaposition is awkward for Bluebird, showing business priorities don’t always align with the biotech’s “patients first” mantra. (Feuerstein, 12/11)

CNBC: Why One Drug Is Responsible For Half The Hike Medicare Part B Premiums
Medicare beneficiaries may already be aware that the big jump in their 2022 Part B premiums is partly due to the cost of a single drug. Yet why all enrollees are picking up the tab for Aduhelm — a controversial new medicine designed to slow cognitive decline with Alzheimer’s disease — may be unclear. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Medicare itself has not yet officially approved coverage of the biologic, which comes with an estimated annual price tag of $56,000 per patient. “Clients are pretty upset about the increase and many have asked why,” said Danielle Roberts, co-founder of insurance firm Boomer Benefits. (O'Brien, 12/12)

Crain's Chicago Business: Miles White Retiring From Abbott
Abbott Laboratories Executive Chairman and former CEO Miles White left the North Chicago-based medical products company's board Friday, retiring "after a remarkable 38-year career with the company," Abbott announced in a news release. In two decades as Abbott's CEO, White orchestrated a series of blockbuster transactions, including spinoffs of the company's hospital equipment and pharmaceutical businesses and the acquisition of rights to the world's top-selling drug. Robert B. Ford, who succeeded White as CEO last year, takes on the additional title of chairman effective today, the company said. (12/12)