Oncology

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.