Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pancreatic Cancer Drug Receives FDA Approval
ABC News: FDA Approves Breakthrough Drug To Treat Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Wednesday a drug that could extend the survival of those with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The drug, called daraxonrasib, will be sold under the brand name Rasonque from Revolution Medicines. The daily pill targets multiple forms of a protein called RAS, which is a main driver of tumor growth. A late-stage clinical trial with 500 patients showed that the median overall survival nearly doubled to more than 13 months versus a median survival of about 6.7 months for those being treated with standard chemotherapy. (Strauss and Kekatos, 8/26)
More news about cancer —
San Francisco Chronicle: People Living Near East Bay Refinery Have Greater Cancer Risk, Air District Says
East Bay residents living near the Chevron Richmond Refinery are at a higher risk of developing cancer and other health ailments from exposure to toxic pollutants, according to preliminary findings released Tuesday by the Bay Area Air District. The air district identified the petroleum refinery — which spans 2,900 acres near Point Richmond — as a “facility with the potential to pose high health impacts,” making it subject to a health risk assessment as required by a district regulation called Rule 11-18. (Brager, 8/26)
The Hill: Early Sugar Rationing Linked To Lower Cancer Risks: Study
A new study has revealed that the amount of sugar consumed during the first two years of life can have lifelong effects. The study, published in PNAS in early August, focused on a group of 64,761 people born in Britain between 1951 and 1956. At the time, sugar and other common foods were rationed to prevent food shortages following World War II. Using data from the UK Biobank study, researchers compared health outcomes among adults who spent their first 1,000 days under sugar restrictions with those of people born after the restrictions were lifted. (Sitz, 8/26)
Stat: Secret Ingredient In A Promising Cancer Vaccine Is An Algorithm
A personalized cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck has generated widespread enthusiasm since the companies announced last week that it had succeeded in a late-stage trial. If regulators ultimately approve it, the treatment will be a triumph of immunology and cancer biology. But it may also be a triumph of the algorithm. (Mast, Herper and Chen, 8/27)
MedPage Today: Nonsurgical Options For Early Rectal Cancer Continue To Show Promise
Almost 80% of patients with early-stage rectal cancer remained surgery-free for a year or longer after treatment with chemoradiation therapy (CRT), a large randomized study showed. (Bankhead, 8/26)
The Washington Post: This Rare Skin Cancer Is Often Mistaken For An Itchy Rash
Both men and women can get EMPD, and it’s often mistaken for a benign rash, such as eczema. Here are the signs to know. (Sweeney, 8/26)
In other pharma and tech updates —
NPR: Medicare’s $50 Obesity Drug Program Is Proving Popular
Starting in July, Medicare began allowing eligible beneficiaries to get obesity drugs for $50 a month. Less than two months in, CVS and Walgreens tell NPR they've each filled around 100,000 such prescriptions. The prescriptions were made possible as part of a pilot called the Bridge program. (Lupkin, 8/26)
MedPage Today: FDA Expands Label Of Oral HIV Drug To Newborns
The FDA expanded the approval of dolutegravir tablets for oral suspension (Tivicay PD) to include newborns with HIV infections younger than 4 weeks of age, the agency announced on Tuesday. (Rudd, 8/26)
HealthDay: Illegal Fentanyl Use Twice Medical, Triples Overdose Risk
Illegal use of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is more than double its use for medical purposes in the United States, a new study has found. More than 7 of 10 people whose urine tested positive for fentanyl had not been prescribed the drug, but were using it illicitly, researchers report in the September issue of the journal eClinicalMedicine. (Thompson, 8/27)
Stat: CAC Scans Growing In Popularity, But Not Everyone Needs One
When it comes to predicting heart attacks and strokes, what matters the most: a number, a picture, or both? (Cooney, 8/26)
