Drug Companies
The MD Anderson Cancer Center is conducting a study on an immunotherapy drug that is specifically for rare, advanced tumors. Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma are both included in the study. The clinical trial is looking for effectiveness and safety of vudalimab. The treatment, also known as XmAb20717, was created by Xencor, a pharmaceutical company located…
There is promising new data from the makers of ONCOS-102 that shows that the treatment can help improve the long-term survival of mesothelioma patients. ONCOS-102 was recently given Fast-Track approval by the FDA to speed up its development. ONCOS-102 is a modified adenovirus that infects cancer cells. The new mesothelioma patient data is showing that…
A new combination of two existing drugs is being tested to treat mesothelioma. Merck and Targovax, which have the drugs Keytruda (pembrolizumab), an immunotherapy drug, and ONCOS-102, a modified adenovirus, are working together in the study. They can both be used on their own alongside chemotherapy to treat mesothelioma, but the results are not great.…
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with very few treatment options. Patients have a low survival rate, but there is hope with clinical trials. If a clinical trial is found to be effective, patients could live longer and could eventually be cured. Opdivo and Yervoy are two immunotherapy drugs that are showing success when combined as…
Typical cancer treatments are hard on the body and are not always effective. When treating someone for cancer, chemotherapy is typically used, which kills cancer cells or stops them from growing or spreading. Chemotherapy can also kill healthy cells, which makes it hard on the body. Immunotherapy is another option, and it works by helping…
When it comes to effective mesothelioma treatments, options are unfortunately limited. There is no cure for mesothelioma and first line chemotherapy treatment Alimta, is no guarantee. Many who are suffering from mesothelioma, who have found little or no comfort in traditional treatments, may turn to clinical trials for hope. Through clinical trials, patients have access…
A Phase III clinical trial is now underway in the pivotal study of interferon alfa-2b gene therapy in pleural mesothelioma. After promising results from the Phase II clinical trial, scientists and researchers are hopeful they are just one step away from FDA approval for this cancer treatment that is over 20 years in the making.…
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer affecting only about 3,000 Americans each year. Most of those diagnosed are diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, but a small number (approx. 500 per year) are diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, which is mesothelioma in the abdominal lining. With so few diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, studying and evaluating the illness has been…
Testing and developing new drugs and treatments for an illness is a costly endeavor, but drug companies thrive in this business by being able to sell medication to the sick – especially those suffering from common conditions. The more common a condition, the more profits drug companies will make selling their product. The more potential…