Author: admin

Posted on

STAT+: Akeso and Summit’s ivonescimab extends survival in squamous cell lung cancer

CHICAGO — Ivonescimab, a drug that combines the activity of two of the best-selling cancer medicines, reduced the risk of death in patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer by 34% compared to a standard treatment in a clinical trial conducted entirely in China by the drug’s developer, Akeso Therapeutics, according to data presented Sunday.

The result, oncologists say, exceeded their expectations, and it appears it could generate optimism for the drug, which is being developed outside China by Summit Therapeutics. But the data also are likely to fuel debate on issues like the role of China in drug development and the future of cancer treatments. The results were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and are being published simultaneously in The Lancet.

Robert Duggan, Summit’s co-CEO and chairman, said that the data mean the company has “a very valuable business with a very valuable product that is in its early stages.” Akeso had no comment for this story.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

STAT+: BioNTech and Pfizer tout bispecifics data, and Pazdur sees silver lining at FDA

You’re reading the web edition of ASCO in 30 Seconds, STAT’s guide to the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Sign up for email editions here.  

A huge thanks to everyone who attended the jam-packed STAT @ ASCO event last night. The bao buns were incredible. IYKYK.

Don’t forget to sign up for our ASCO virtual recap on Wednesday.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

STAT+: China competition, ‘destruction’ at FDA give agency chance to restructure, Rick Pazdur says

CHICAGO — Rick Pazdur, the former top oncology regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, said the damage done under recent political appointees opens a chance for new leadership to fundamentally restructure the FDA, particularly as China’s drug industry grows more competitive. 

Under leaders appointed by the Trump administration, “we’ve had a lot of destruction here, and it doesn’t mean that we have to just go back and say, well, let’s rebuild it as it was,” Pazdur said Friday night at a STAT event during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “This gives us a great opportunity of — how we want to build it, what staff we want to have, how we want the administrative structure to be.”

He said the FDA has lost many valuable experts and one way to bolster the workforce is to “think creatively,” such as bringing in academics and people in the drug industry for one- or two-year terms.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

STAT+: Revolution Medicines starts shipping experimental pancreatic cancer drug

CHICAGO — The biotech company Revolution Medicines has begun sending its experimental, life-extending treatment for pancreatic cancer to physicians and their patients under an early access program authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, the company’s CEO, Mark Goldsmith, told STAT.

“We are now shipping the drug,” he said, speaking Friday evening at a STAT event held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 

The drug, daraxonrasib, is not yet approved. But patients with pancreatic cancer have been clamoring for it since mid-April, when Revolution reported the striking results of a Phase 3 clinical trial. Patients treated with daraxonrasib lived nearly twice as long as patients offered standard chemotherapy — an outcome unprecedented in the pancreatic cancer field. 

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

STAT+: As Ebola outbreak grows, Trump administration veers from previous government playbook

WASHINGTON — In January 2025, with the Covid-19 pandemic still top of mind, the Biden administration left behind extensive plans for how the federal bureaucracy should work to stop future disease outbreaks.

The plans were hundreds of pages long and addressed dozens of specific issues, including the government response to diseases like Ebola and how to move Americans from outbreak zones back to the U.S. for care.

But weeks later, the Trump administration took Washington by storm — and began disregarding the plans, according to two former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials who worked in the Trump administration and four people familiar with the Biden-era plans.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

STAT+: At ASCO, positive data for Bristol in multiple myeloma and Pfizer in lung cancer

You’re reading the web edition of ASCO in 30 Seconds, STAT’s guide to the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Sign up for email editions here.  

We’re ASCOmaxxing.

Rest assured, this will not require Adam Feuerstein, Matthew Herper or Angus Chen to hammer on their jawlines. They will, however, be scouring the ASCO annual meeting to bring you the cancer news, analysis and event coverage you crave.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

Career Advancement Challenges for Women in Tenure Versus Clinical Tracks in Academic Medicine: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

<strong>Background:</strong> Despite gender parity in medical school matriculants, women in academic medicine encounter ongoing challenges in career advancement and promotion. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to assess the experiences and challenges impacting the career trajectory for women-identifying faculty at the Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSUCOM) in tenure track (TT) and clinical track (CT; nontenure track) academic appointments. <strong>Methods:</strong> The OSUCOM Widening Impact in Medicine and Science (WIMS) organization, earlier known as Women in Medicine and Science, conducted a digital online survey in May 2023 distributed to all women-identifying faculty at OSUCOM. We focused on the responses of faculty who reported being on the TT or the CT at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor. Survey data were compared to ongoing and new career development programming in WIMS that addresses faculty needs across both tracks. <strong>Results:</strong> Approximately half (639/1292, 49.5%) of all women-identifying OSUCOM faculty responded to the survey, with 565 (88.4%) reporting as TT or CT at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor. Among these respondents, 23.5% (n=133) were on the TT (assistant professors: n=60, 45.1%; associate professors: n=37, 27.8%; professors: n=36, 27.1%), while 76.5% (n=432) were on the CT (assistant professors: n=245, 56.7%; associate professors: n=129, 29.9%; professors: n=58, 13.4%). Across both appointment tracks, of 492 participants, the two most common challenges impacting career advancement were caregiving responsibilities (n=271, 55.1%) and burnout (n=235, 47.8%). Significantly more CT versus TT faculty identified increased patient load (n=187, 47.8%, vs n=10, 9.9%; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and clinical productivity requirements (n=150, 38.4%, vs n=19, 18.8%; P=.002) as barriers to career advancement. CT faculty were also more likely to report not currently having a mentor compared to TT faculty (n=202, 48.9%, vs n=37, 31.9%; <i>P</i>=.001). In contrast, significantly more TT faculty reported the impact of COVID-19 (n=50, 49.5%, vs n=75, 19.2%; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and lack of funding (n=28, 27.7%, vs n=66, 16.9%; <i>P</i>=.014) as barriers to advancement. TT faculty were also significantly more likely to report sponsoring an OSU faculty member in their current position (n=55, 54.5%, vs n=147, 38.0%; <i>P</i>=.003). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Our findings highlight that TT and CT women-identifying faculty experience different career landscapes with distinct track-specific barriers to professional advancement. CT women-identifying faculty are particularly vulnerable in areas such as mentorship and sponsorship, while TT women-identifying faculty experience more challenges related to research productivity. With an increasing number of women hired as CT faculty, it is critical for academic medical centers (AMCs) to maintain and strengthen support for all faculty types by broadening institutional-level strategies and offering targeted career development programming.
Posted on
<![CDATA[Luvesilocin enters phase 2, hinting at lasting relief after 1–2 doses and a new 5-HT2A model.]]>
Posted on

Asynchronous Broadcasting of Audiovisual Content as a Telerehabilitation Strategy for Patients in Rural Areas: Development and Usability Study

Background: Geographical and economic barriers limit access to health care services in rural regions of Colombia. In San Vicente del Caguán, the lack of infrastructure and rehabilitation professionals forces patients to travel long distances. Asynchronous telerehabilitation using video broadcasting is a viable strategy to address these challenges. Objective: This study aims to design and validate a telerehabilitation model using asynchronous audiovisual content broadcasting for rural patients, evaluating functionality, usability, and clinical effectiveness. Methods: A 4-stage case study developed and validated the model in San Vicente del Caguán: (1) analysis of telemedicine experiences and video-based therapy; (2) solution design including telecommunications infrastructure (radio links and Wi-Fi), mobile app (HSRehabiAPP), and web platform (HSRehabiWEB); (3) fieldwork with 7 patients receiving physical, occupational, or speech therapy, evaluating functionality (11 criteria), usability (8 criteria), and content quality (5 criteria); and (4) results analysis. The infrastructure connected San Rafael Hospital with remote centers in Los Pozos and Tres Esquinas. Participants (aged 7-68 years) from urban and rural areas had conditions including stroke, shoulder injuries, knee pathologies, hypertension, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results: All 7 patients achieved 100% compliance across functional, usability, and audiovisual content criteria. Functional evaluation covered login, navigation, therapy access, session viewing, exercise execution, pain assessment, therapist communication, and satisfaction surveys. Usability assessment evaluated initial access, content location, navigation comfort, instructional guidance, session organization, video playback, instruction clarity, and interface intuitiveness. Content criteria included exercise clarity, step-by-step instructions, visual quality, audio quality, and correct posture demonstration. Patients reported high satisfaction, noting reduced travel costs and time, family convenience, and effective outcomes. Offline functionality proved essential in areas with limited internet connectivity. Conclusions: The asynchronous audiovisual telerehabilitation model is an effective solution for improving access to rehabilitation services in rural areas. It successfully addressed geographical barriers and infrastructure limitations while maintaining clinical effectiveness across therapies. Implementation requires adequate technological infrastructure, user-friendly platforms with offline capabilities, and quality therapeutic content. Future work demands inclusive health policies, professional training, and research with larger sample sizes to assess long-term sustainability in diverse rural contexts.
<img src="https://jmir-production.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thumbs/eba510aecc9c2ca2d8a859c04f88c558" />