Oncology

Imbruvica (ibrutinib) is a first-in-class BTK inhibitor with potential for treating blood cancer, indicated for use in MCL and CLL patients.

The non-invasive nature of the test makes it a very attractive alternative to the uncomfortable colonoscopy used to detect colorectal cancer. In a New England Journal of Medicine study of 10,000 patients, the test identified 92% of colorectal cancers in average-risk patients and 42% of polyps.

While the current approved immuno-oncolgy drugs have been approved for melanoma, Roche has also been evaluating their new molecule in triple-negative breast cancer. The results will be presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The regimen, based on reprogramming the patient's immune T cells to attack the cancer cells, led to the disappearance of cancer in 90 percent of patients, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

After Roche saw 2 product rejects a few weeks back from NICE, based on a value argument, Celgene is in a similar boat with it's multiple myeloma drug pomalidomide.

Fewer than 15% of physicians routinely recommend HPV vaccination to male patients, according to the study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has endorsed the joint guidelines established by the 3 Associations to help physicians make evidence-based decisions when selecting patients to administer some of the targeted therapies developed for lung cancer.

Ohio is the latest state to experience a rough transition to managed care in its Medicaid program, according to weekend reports. Delayed payments and service disruptions to fragile patients are among the complaints. Kentucky had a similar bumpy start when it changed to Medicaid managed care in 2011, and Kansas has had many problems recently.

Opdivo (nivolumab), which was approved in Japan in July 2014, is being globally developed for evaluation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), head and neck cancer, glioblastoma, as well as NHL.

The NDA submitted by Pfizer requests approval of palbociclib as a first-line therapy in combination with letrozole for ER+, HER2- advanced breast cancer.

The new BiTE antibody technology developed by the company can simultaneously engage 2 different targets, which can help recruit T-cells to malignant cells, and will be evaluated in ALL patients.

The approval follows 2 clinical trials evaluating the regimen in 1720 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

The approval extends the use of bortezomib beyond relapsed and refractory patients.

The identification of specific RNA molecules in the urine of individuals with prostate cancer raises hope for a non-invasive test for the disease.

Having decided to restrict the distribution of 3 of its top-selling oncology medications, Avastin, Rituxan, and Herceptin only through specialty pharmacies, Genentech is witnessing protests in various forms from healthcare centers.