Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tocilizumab Tested In First Large Study Of Black And Hispanic COVID Patients
AP: Drug Shows Promise In 1st Largely Minority COVID-19 Study
A drug company said Friday that a medicine it sells to tamp down inflammation has helped prevent the need for breathing machines in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the first large study that primarily enrolled Hispanics and Blacks. Switzerland-based Roche reported the results for tocilizumab, sold now as Actemra and RoActemra for treating rheumatoid arthritis and some other diseases. The company said it would quickly publish the results, which have not yet been reviewed by independent scientists, and would speak with regulators about next steps. (Marchione, 9/18)
NPR: New Drugs For COVID-19 In The Works
If the coronavirus vaccines currently being tested don't pan out, don't expect new drugs to fill the gap any time soon. Many drugs are in the works, and those that succeed could play a role in reducing symptoms and sometimes saving lives. But, given the way drugs are developed, it's unlikely that any single medicine will be anywhere as potent against the coronavirus as a successful vaccine. (Harris, 9/18)
In other pharmaceutical news —
CIDRAP: Study Warns Of Pairing Azithromycin With Drugs That Affect Heart Rhythm
A large new study of patients who received either azithromycin or amoxicillin found no increased risk of cardiac events associated with azithromycin, except among patients also taking medications that affect the electrical impulses of the heart, researchers reported this week in JAMA Network Open. (Dall, 9/18)
Stat: Three Lessons From Covid-19 On Accelerating Biopharma Innovation
The health care research ecosystem has shifted into overdrive in response to Covid-19, sparking unprecedented speed and agility. The economic and public health burdens it has generated demand that we rethink our approach to developing new vaccines and therapies. Researchers are now examining what we can learn from these experiences and more broadly apply this innovation to research and development in the future. (White, 9/18)
Stat: New Drug Combo Extends Survival With Advanced Kidney Cancer
Patients with advanced kidney cancer live longer when treated with a combination of drugs from Bristol Myers Squibb and Exelixis compared to an older medicine, according to new clinical trial results reported Sunday. Convincing physicians to prescribe the new combination regimen for kidney cancer patients, though, will face a challenge: equally effective treatments already in use. (Feuerstein, 9/19)
Stat: Durable Responses Seen With Amgen's KRAS-Blocking Cancer Drug
Amgen said Sunday that patients with advanced lung cancer who were given its drug to block a protein called KRAS lived for a median of six months without their tumors worsening. That’s a measure of response durability that experts say could be strong enough to secure the drug’s approval — if replicated in a larger clinical trial that will read out later this year. (Feuerstein, 9/20)
FiercePharma: AstraZeneca, Merck's Lynparza Boosts Prostate Cancer Survival By 31% Over J&J, Pfizer-Astellas Rivals
Last year at the European Society for Medical Oncology annual meeting, AstraZeneca and Merck showed Lynparza could beat two top rivals at fending off prostate cancer progression. This year, they’re showing it can help patients live longer, too.In results unveiled Sunday at the ESMO virtual congress, Lynparza cut the risk of death by 31% over Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga or Pfizer and Astellas’ Xtandi in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer and one of three genetic mutations. (9/20)
Also —
Stat: Promising Results For Trodelvy, A Drug Just Acquired By Gilead
When Gilead Sciences announced its $21 billion acquisition of Immunomedics one week ago, Gilead executives said that clinical data on Immunomedics’ cancer drug Trodelvy — shared confidentially during negotiations — justified the high cost of the deal. On Saturday, data from Trodelvy studies in bladder cancer and triple-negative breast cancer were presented publicly for the first time at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology. The results were better than expected, which may boost Trodelvy’s chances of growing into a multi-billion dollar drug and in, turn, ease investor concerns about Gilead’s acquisition. (Feuerstein, 9/19)
FiercePharma: New Trodelvy Breast, Bladder Cancer Data Show Why Gilead's Going Big For Immunomedics
Compared with the spate of multibillion-dollar buyouts last year, biopharma M&A has been relatively quiet in 2020—until last week, when Gilead Sciences surprised the market with its $21 billion purchase of Immunomedics. Now, two sets of new cancer data from Immunomedics’ first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate Trodelvy offer a glimpse into why Gilead paid such big money for the biotech—even as they illuminate the potential competition ahead. (Liu, 9/19)
