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☆ Eli Lilly says experimental Alzheimer's drug reduces brain plaque in early study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Eli Lilly 's experimental Alzheimer's drug lowered levels of brain plaque in patients who are in the earliest stages of the devastating disease, initial data shows. Researchers have argued that accumulation of amyloid plaque is a crucial first step toward the cognitive decline observed in Alzheimer's disease. The early data comes as Eli Lilly continues its decades-long bid to bring an Alzheimer's drug to the market. Eli Lilly found the drug caused a "rapid and robust" clearance of amyloid plaque, the presentation said. But Tewari said it's unclear if clearing amyloid plaque will lead to clinical benefits like a reduction in cognitive decline.

☆ US declines to force lower price on cancer drug Xtandi
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will not force Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Astellas Pharma Inc (4503.T) to lower the price of their prostate cancer drug Xtandi using its emergency "march-in" authority, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Tuesday. Patient group the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment first filed a petition calling on the NIH to use its authority to lower the drug's price in March 2016. The NIH said in a letter made public on Tuesday that its analyses in response to the petition found the prostate cancer treatment was widely available. "NIH does not believe that use of the march-in authority would be an effective means of lowering the price of the drug," the letter said. Progressive lawmakers in the Democratic Party have been calling on President Joe Biden's administration to use its march-in authority to lower drug prices.

☆ Shortage of Last-Ditch Drug for Advanced Prostate Cancer Worries Doctors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | Melanie Evans | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Novartis said it is prioritizing the Pluvicto supply for patients who have already started the regimen. A drug used to extend the lives of people with advanced prostate cancer is in short supply and will be for months, leaving some patients with no treatment option as the manufacturer works to ramp up production. The Food and Drug Administration said last week the availability of Pluvicto is limited as manufacturer Novartis AG struggles to meet demand. The drugmaker said the shortage stems from manufacturing and delivery issues.

☆ Veru to proceed with late-stage study of COVID pill despite FDA snub
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Veru Inc FollowMarch 14 (Reuters) - Drug developer Veru Inc (VERU.O) on Tuesday said it plans to proceed with a late-stage trial of its COVID-19 pill, weeks after the U.S. health regulator declined to authorize the oral drug to treat high-risk patients hospitalized with COVID-19. It will, however, stop the development of the drug as a potential treatment for prostate cancer as part of its strategy to cut costs. Veru plans to continue development of the oral drug, sabizabulin, in late-stage studies with high-risk hospitalized influenza patients and COVID-19 patients. It expects to report interim data from the COVID-19 trial next year. The company said it was planning to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soon and will communicate details of the late-stage trial after the meeting.

☆ Fact Check-The NHS has not removed the word ‘woman’ from its website
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain’s NHS still uses the word “woman” in its webpages about pregnancy and cervical and ovarian cancer, contrary to online posts. But the word “woman” is also still present in guidance on pregnancy and cancer. Advice on cervical cancer causes here reads: “Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer. “The word ‘woman’ remains vital to healthcare information about women’s health and this issue is currently under review.”VERDICTMisleading. The NHS has not removed the word woman entirely from guidance on pregnancy and cancer.

[1/3] A pharmacist holds a bottle of the drug Eliquis, made by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. January 9, 2020. The government will launch the negotiation process in September by naming the first drugs it plans to target. "We couldn't have the other parts of the IRA without this Medicare negotiation," said Sean Dickson, director of the West Health Policy Center, a non-partisan healthcare think tank. Eliquis, which Bristol Myers (BMY.N) shares with Pfizer (PFE.N), Ibrance, and Imbruvica, sold by AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), appear on every list. Pfizer, Novo Nordisk and J&J declined to comment on the likelihood their drugs would be included in the first round of negotiations.

☆ Men With Prostate Cancer Can Thrive for Years With Less Aggressive Treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Ariana Perez-Castells | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Surgery to address prostate cancer can have lasting negative effects in some men. Many prostate-cancer patients could delay or forgo radical treatment without compromising quality of life or longevity, a study showed, adding to a reconsideration of how aggressively to treat some common cancers. Men with low-grade and some with moderate-grade localized prostate cancer could safely choose surveillance over surgery or radiation, according to a study published on Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Its authors followed about 1,600 men in the U.K. diagnosed with localized prostate cancer for a median of 15 years. They found that mortality was low whether patients received radiotherapy, a prostatectomy or active monitoring: 3% of patients in the study died from prostate cancer.

☆ This tech founder used ChatGPT to mourn the death of his grandfather. It helped him uncover a Bible verse he'd spent years trying to find.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ian Panchèvre spent years searching for his grandfather's favorite Bible verse. During one of those conversations, Panchèvre said his grandfather shared his favorite Bible verse with him. ChatGPT provided Panchèvre with his grandfather's favorite bible after a couple of prompts. Ian Panchèvre"I'm like, I need to ask ChatGPT," Panchèvre said. Over time though, he believes it'll become more common for people to just think: Let me ask ChatGPT and see what happens?

☆ This under-the-radar biotech stock can surge 40% on upcoming cancer treatment data, Wells Fargo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's time to buy Exelixis shares ahead of readouts on the biotech firm's cancer treatment, according to Wells Fargo. Analyst Derek Archila initiated coverage of Exelixis with an overweight rating, saying the biotech company's consistent revenue growth and upcoming clarity around the firm's cancer product called cabozantinib will drive upside. "We like cabo's near-term growth prospects and believe upcoming clarity on its [loss of exclusivity] will serve as a catalyst for shares. Exelixis shares are 2% higher this year, after falling 12% in 2022. EXEL 1D mountain Exelixis shares 1-day —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

☆ Sen. Dianne Feinstein hospitalized with shingles in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Zoë Richards | Frank Thorp V | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Thursday she was hospitalized in San Francisco with shingles after she missed Senate votes this week. In a statement, Feinstein, 89, said she got the shingles diagnosis while the Senate was in recess late last month. "I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco and expect to make a full recovery," Feinstein said. Feinstein, the oldest sitting senator and the longest-serving senator from California, was first elected to the Senate in 1992. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., recently returned to Washington after having undergone surgery last month for prostate cancer.

☆ U.S. FDA panel to review expanded use of Merck-AstraZeneca's cancer drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) committee is scheduled to meet on April 28. The companies' are seeking approval of the drug Lynparza in combination with other medications – abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone – for the treatment of a type of treatment-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients. Lynparza was approved in March last year by the FDA as a treatment for patients with early-stage breast cancer with certain mutations. The drug is also approved in the United States as a standalone treatment for another form of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States with about 288,300 new cases of prostate cancer in 2023, according to the American Cancer Society’s estimates.

☆ Merck scraps third prostate cancer study as Keytruda therapy disappoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The setbacks were likely to put Merck further behind in its quest to develop a treatment for advanced forms of the most common cancer type in the United States. It had in January stopped a late-stage study of the drug in some prostate cancer patients. An interim analysis showed the combination therapy did not extend survival or help extend the time a patient lives without the disease worsening compared to placebo, Merck said. Merck was testing its blockbuster immunotherapy in combination with androgen deprivation therapy and Xtandi, made by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Astellas Pharma Inc (4503.T), in patients with an advanced form of treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Additionally, Merck said another combination treatment with Keytruda did not meet the main goal in a separate late-stage study for a type of lung cancer that can spread to other parts of the body.

☆ Merck to discontinue Keytruda combination study for prostate cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Merck & Co (MRK.N) said on Tuesday it will stop a late-stage trial evaluating a combination therapy with its cancer drug Keytruda in patients with a type of advanced prostate cancer. The U.S. drugmaker said the decision was based on an interim analysis of data from the study which showed the combination therapy did not improve overall survival in prostate cancer patients compared to placebo. Merck said another combination treatment with Keytruda did not meet the main goal in a separate late-stage study evaluating it for a type of lung cancer. Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Was the poet poisoned? Chile awaits new report on Neruda’s death
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A picture of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda is seen inside his museum house in the coastal sector of Isla Negra, Chile, April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoFeb 15 (Reuters) - A third inquiry into the death of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda 50 years ago could shed new light on whether he was poisoned by political enemies, as alleged by some of his family. Rodolfo Reyes, a Neruda nephew, reiterated this week claims that his uncle - a member of the Communist party and the most important Chilean intellectual of the time - was poisoned. Previous tests have found no evidence Neruda, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1971, was poisoned. Reporting by Fabian Andrés Cambero; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Radioligand therapy, a 'game-changer' for cancer treatment, forces manufacturers to race against a ticking clock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Ash from the eruption disrupted flights across Europe — including a time-sensitive shipment of experimental radioligand therapy that Sartor was expecting from Norway. Radioligand therapy, also called radionuclide or radiopharmaceutical therapy, is a targeted form of cancer treatment that delivers radiation directly to cancer cells. Once the radioactivity decays, it can no longer kill the cancer cells as effectively, which means radioligand therapy has a limited window of viability. Expensive to produce and ship fastNuclear medicine has been used to treat cancer for decades, and radioligand therapy itself is not new. In 2008, he traveled to a medical conference in Toronto where he heard about radioligand therapy for the first time.

☆ A man thought his hip hurt because he'd ran a marathon. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Catherine Schuster-Bruce | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man who went to a chiropractor with hip pain was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Scans found that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, liver, and lungs. Further tests confirmed that he had the most common type of prostate cancer, called an adenocarcinoma. According to the report, the man died from a lung infection seven months after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. CDC data suggests that about 96% of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are alive five years later.

☆ Merck scraps Keytruda trial for prostate cancer after dismal interim data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) said on Wednesday it was discontinuing a late-stage trial of its blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda in some prostate cancer patients after interim data showed it was unlikely to meet the study's main goals. The interim analysis showed the therapy did not extend survival or help extend the time a patient lives without the disease worsening, the U.S. drugmaker said. The trial had enrolled 1,251 patients who received the combination therapy with Keytruda or a placebo. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with nearly 270,000 new cases and 34,500 deaths in the country in 2022, according to government data estimates. Separately, Merck said Keytruda in combination with a chemotherapy showed significant improvement in overall survival in patients with an advanced type of bile duct cancer.

☆ JPMorgan upgrades Regeneron, says eye drug launch could help boost shares nearly 20%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Approval of Regeneron 's eye drug treating age-related macular degeneration could serve as the next big catalyst for shares of the pharmaceutical giant, according to JPMorgan. Analyst Chris Schott upgraded shares of Regeneron to overweight from neutral, calling the pharmaceutical company's Eylea drug a "best in class therapy" slated to broaden its AMD segment. The positivity from Schott comes even after the company noted that a shift to an off-label competitor negatively impacted drug sales in the final quarter of 2022. Despite a crowded and increasingly competitive market, Schott also views Regeneron's drug treating atopic dermatitis, or eczema, as another potential growth driver for the stock going forward. Regeneron outperformed in 2022, rising 14% as the broader market fell.

☆ Jacinda Ardern gives supply shortage new meaning
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Jacinda Ardern has risen to the top of headhunters’ must-call list. Her contacts, international profile, and social-justice nous are skills corporates, charities and supranational organisations treasure in board members and advisers. Her administration’s push to legalise abortion and to enact climate change legislation gives her serious ESG clout. (By Antony Currie)Follow @Breakingviews on Twitter(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

More men are being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is less likely to respond to treatments, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests. Even more concerning than the rise in advanced cancer diagnoses is the increased number of prostate cancer deaths. “This increase is concerning and requires a new look at prostate cancer screening,” Tewari said. Essentially, that’s like 16 Boeing 747s crashing.”Black men had a 70% higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men. Declines in prostate cancer screeningIn 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of measurements of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) to be used as part of a screening test for prostate cancer.

☆ U.S. Cancer Death Rate Has Dropped by a Third Since 1991
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The cancer mortality rate in the U.S. has dropped by a third in the past three decades, a report showed, but an increase in advanced prostate cancer diagnoses threatens to reverse some hard-won gains. The American Cancer Society said Thursday that changes in preventive measures and screening in the past decade drove important trends in U.S. cancer incidence and outcomes. Cervical cancer rates dropped 65% from 2012 to 2019 among women in their early 20s after a generation of young women were vaccinated against human papillomavirus, or HPV, for the first time.

☆ Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. hospitalized patients experience a harmful event, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The stark findings underscore that, despite decades of effort, hospitals in the United States still have a long way to go to improve patient safety, experts say. A total of 222 adverse events were considered preventable, meaning an error resulted in patient harm. Twenty-nine people, or 1% of the total of those admitted, experienced serious preventable adverse events that resulted in serious harm. The most common adverse events overall (nearly 40%) were related to medications given in the hospital. It used data from patients hospitalized in New York state in 1984, and found that only about 4% of hospitalized patients experienced harm.

☆ What Marketers Need to Know About the FTC’s Updated Guidelines on Health Claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Federal Trade Commission guidelines for advertising health-related products just got a big refresh—and they could be a rude awakening for marketers making overzealous claims about products such as supplements or health apps. Here is what marketers should know about the new guidelines and what they will mean for the industry. “They consider anything that has some claimed benefit for human health to be a health product,” he said. And I think this just sort of formalizes the fact that it’s going to do that.”What kind of substantiation is needed to make health claims? Yadim Medore, founder and CEO of dietary supplement-focused consulting firm Pure Branding Inc., said the new guidelines will raise the bar for the kind of research needed for companies to make health claims.

The Democrats’ 2024 Senate map was already going to be tough, and it got a little bit harder now that Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday she would not run for re-election. Michigan is one of the five states President Biden won in 2020 by less than 4 percentage points where the Democrats currently have a seat up for re-election next year. And there are three more Democratic seats up in 2024 in states that Trump won. In other 2024 news:Gallego makes more moves: Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is making high-profile hires as he considers a Senate bid, Politico reports. Chris Sununu told Fox News “a lot of folks” want him to run for president and took a swipe at Florida Republican Gov.

☆ Sen. Bob Casey Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) said he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery. “While this news came as a shock, I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family,” Mr. Casey said in a statement posted on Twitter Thursday.

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