A heartfelt letter from the late YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcicki, reveals her personal battle with lung cancer and her urgent call for better treatments. Written weeks before her passing, the letter offers a poignant reflection on life, loss, and the importance of advocacy.
Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. This article explores the alarming rise in cases, focusing on the roles of air pollution and tobacco, examines the latest diagnostic and treatment advancements, and offers crucial preventative measures.
JMP Securities initiated coverage on Summit Therapeutics, highlighting the potential of their oncology drug Ivonescimab (PD-1 X VEGF bispecific) in treating lung cancer. The drug has shown promising results in clinical trials, outperforming leading treatments like Keytruda and Opdivo. With numerous Phase 3 studies underway and strong head-to-head data, Ivonescimab could become a significant player in the NSCLC market, potentially generating billions in revenue.
A new campaign, Knowvember, is urging Canadians to test their homes for radon, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. With a focus on raising awareness and offering prizes, the campaign aims to reduce the number of new lung cancer cases in Canada. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can build up to dangerous levels in homes, posing a significant health risk.
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) and Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) have initiated a pivotal Phase 3 trial for their investigational neoantigen therapy, V940 (mRNA-4157), in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This trial, known as INTerpath-009, focuses on patients who did not achieve a complete response after receiving neoadjuvant Keytruda plus chemotherapy. The first patients have started enrolling in Canada, and global recruitment is ongoing. This development follows a series of other trials evaluating V940 in combination with Keytruda for different types of cancers.
The FDA has approved AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso for treating adult patients with unresectable, Stage III epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed after radiation therapy. The drug, which generated $1.6 billion in sales in the second quarter of 2024, showed a significant reduction in disease progression or death compared to placebo in a Phase 3 trial.
Black Diamond Therapeutics announced encouraging Phase 2 data for their drug BDTX-1535 in patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer who have become resistant to standard treatment. The drug showed a significant response rate and durable results, offering hope for a new treatment option.
AstraZeneca’s datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) failed to meet its primary endpoint of overall survival in a Phase 3 breast cancer trial, but the drug continues to show potential in treating lung cancer. The drug did achieve its primary endpoint in the breast cancer trial for progression-free survival and also demonstrated improvement in patient-reported outcomes.
The FDA has granted approval for Johnson & Johnson’s Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjw) in combination with chemotherapy for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with specific EGFR mutations. This approval marks the third new indication for Rybrevant this year, highlighting its potential as a treatment option for patients with advanced NSCLC.
Merck & Co Inc’s (MRK) patritumab deruxtecan demonstrated statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival compared to standard chemotherapy in a Phase 3 trial for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This positive outcome comes as Summit Therapeutics Inc’s (SMMT) ivonescimab also showed promising results against Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in a separate lung cancer trial.
