Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chemo Drugs Attached To Antibodies Battle Cancer Cells More Directly
NBC News: Cancer-Fighting Antibodies Inject Chemo Directly Into Tumor Cells, Upping Effectiveness
By attaching a chemotherapy drug to an antibody, doctors are able to deliver more potent cancer-fighting medicines directly into tumor cells, all while causing fewer side effects. The chemotherapy-antibody combinations, known as antibody drug conjugates, have been described as both heat-seeking missiles and Trojan horses for cancer cells, designed to specifically home in on a patient’s tumor cells and trick them into engulfing the antibodies, along with their deadly payload. (Lovelace Jr., 6/2)
More cancer treatment advancements —
NBC News: Lung Cancer Treatment: Pfizer's Lorbrena Extends Life In Some Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers
Pfizer’s lung cancer drug Lorbrena can extend life for patients with a rare form of the disease for years longer than other drugs, according to new research published Friday. The drug treats a type of non-small cell lung cancer with a genetic mutation called ALK. Non-small cell lung cancers account for about 85% of lung cancer diagnoses, and ALK-positive cancers account for about 4% of those diagnoses — more than 70,000 people every year. (Sullivan and Lovelace Jr., 5/31)
Reuters: Pre-Surgery Treatment With Bristol Myers Combination Therapy Leads To Better Skin Cancer Outcomes
Treatment with Bristol Myers Squibb's immunotherapies Opdivo and Yervoy prior to surgery for patients whose skin cancer had spread to lymph nodes had better outcomes than those who did not get the drugs before node removal procedures, according to data from a late-stage trial released on Sunday. The study of 423 patients with stage 3 melanoma found that 83.7% of patients who received the immunotherapies before their surgery were alive without the disease worsening after 12-months. (6/2)
FiercePharma: Enhertu Looks To Make History Again In HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer
After Enhertu pioneered the HER2-low category in breast cancer treatment, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are now hopeful that the antibody-drug conjugate can reach tumors with an even lower expression of the protein biomarker. In a group of patients with previously treated, HR-positive metastatic breast cancer with low levels of HER2 expression, Enhertu significantly cut the risk of disease progression or death by 37% versus a physician’s choice of chemotherapy, according to results from the DESTINY-Breast06 trial shared Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. (Liu, 6/2)
Other cancer news —
The Washington Post: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Of Texas Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer
Longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she announced on social media Sunday, adding that she expects to be “occasionally absent from Congress” as she undergoes treatment. “My doctors confirmed my diagnosis of pancreatic cancer,” Jackson Lee wrote in a letter shared on X. “I am currently undergoing treatment to battle this disease that impacts tens of thousands of Americans every year.” (Cho, 6/3)
FiercePharma: LGBTQ+ Populations May Face Elevated Cancer Risk: ACS Report
Ahead of Pride Month, the American Cancer Society published a report examining cancer risk in the LGBTQ+ community—concluding with a call to action. (Park, 5/31)
Stat: Palliative Care For Cancer Patients Is Found To Be As Effective Given Virtually As In Person
Comfort can be delivered to patients with advanced cancer virtually just as well as in person, according to a new study presented on Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. That’s welcome news to palliative care experts who have, in many cases, preferred the convenience and efficacy of telehealth sessions for both themselves and their patients since the Covid-19 pandemic forced virtual visits. (Chen, 6/2)
Reuters: Delaware Judge Lets More Than 70,000 Zantac Lawsuits Go Forward
A Delaware judge has allowed more than 70,000 lawsuits over discontinued heartburn drug Zantac to go forward, ruling that expert witnesses can testify in court that the drug may cause cancer. The ruling on Friday by Judge Vivian Medinilla of the Delaware Superior Court in Wilmington is a setback for former Zantac makers GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim, which had argued that the expert witnesses' opinions lacked scientific support. (Pierson, 6/3)
