News from Thursday, June 12, 2025
Articles
Epcoritamab Improves Outcomes, HRQOL in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
(6/12, Julia Bonavitacola, The American Journal of Managed Care) reports “...There were 111 patients included in this analysis who were treated with epcoritamab with lenalidomide and rituximab compared with 380 patients who received usual care. Those who took the combination therapy had a 20% higher chance of achieving overall response compared with usual care (96.9% vs 80.5%). They were also 60% more likely to achieve complete response compared with usual care (90.2% vs 55.1%). The risk of progression or death was reduced by 57% in those who took the combination therapy (PFS: HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28-0.68), and the risk of mortality was reduced by 67% (OS: HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16-0.70). Patients also had a 71% reduction in the risk of losing response (HR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.18-0.47) and a 69% reduction in risk of losing complete response (HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.17-0.55) compared with usual care.” Full
Braced for Details on Trump's 'Most Favored Nation' Policy, Pharma Industry Is Still Waiting
(6/11, Daniel Payne, Elaine Chen, STAT+) reports “...Asked when the ;price targets’ would be issued, a White House spokesperson told STAT in an email that they already had been. Asked when, the spokesperson shared a link to a May 20 announcement in which the administration outlined how it would implement its ‘most favored nation’ policy - but did not set specific price targets. ‘Nothing more from us at the moment,’ the White House spokesperson said. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.” Subscription Required
RFK Jr. Picks New Members of Influential Vaccine Committee after Purge
(6/11, Lena H. Sun and Lauren Weber, The Washington Post) reports “...‘All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,’ Kennedy said in an X post on Wednesday announcing the picks. ‘They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations.’” Subscription Required
Press Releases
Significant Efficacy Benefit of IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) plus Venetoclax Versus Acalabrutinib plus Venetoclax in Frontline Treatment of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Suggested by Indirect Treatment Comparison
(6/12, Johnson & Johnson Press Release) “...‘In the absence of head-to-head trials, clinicians need reliable tools to effectively compare treatment options and make the best possible choices for their patients,’ said Talha Munir, M.D., Consultant in Clinical Haematology at St James’s Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom. ‘The matching-adjusted indirect comparison data presented at EHA suggests that ibrutinib plus venetoclax may offer meaningful clinical advantages over acalabrutinib plus venetoclax with patients more likely to achieve higher rates of undetectable minimal residual disease, three months after treatment.’” Full
Journals
Second-Line Treatment Strategies for Right-Sided, RAS/RAF Wild-Type Colorectal Cancer
Nishwant Swami, et al.
June 2, 2025, JAMA Network Open
Comparative Effectiveness of Ustekinumab Versus Infliximab in the Management of Perianal Fistulizing Crohn's Disease: A Retrospective Study in China
Mengqi Chen, et al.
June 11, 2025, Intestinal Research
Comparative Effectiveness of Robotic-Assisted, Video-Assisted, and Open Thymectomy for Thymoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Quang La, et al.
June 11, 2025, Cureus
Patient, Treatment, Outcome, Large Simple Trials of Common Therapies
Kevin P. Seitz, MD, MSc; Jonathan D. Casey, MD, MSc; Matthew W. Semler, MD, MSc
June 12, 2025, JAMA
Carotid Revascularization Versus Medical Management for Ischemic Stroke with Ipsilateral Carotid Web: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Farhan Khan, et al.
June 12, 2025, Annals of Neurology