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IASLC commends pembrolizumab drug approval for cutting-edge lung cancer treatment

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) says the move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant accelerated approval for a cutting-edge lung cancer treatment is a positive step forward that may help many patients improve their survival.

9 Oct 2015

FDA grants accelerated approval for Keytruda to treat patients with advanced NSCLC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed after other treatments and with tumors that express a protein called PD-L1. Keytruda is approved for use with a companion diagnostic, the PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx test, the first test designed to detect PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung tumors.

9 Oct 2015

Quest Diagnostics provides PD-L1 IHC 22C3 PharmDx test service for NSCLC patients

Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it will provide clinical laboratory testing using the PD-L1 IHC 22C3 PharmDx immunohistochemistry companion diagnostic.

From Quest Diagnostics 7 Oct 2015

Cabozantinib, nivolumab ‘bring hope’ for advanced RCC patients

Clinical trial results suggest significant benefits with the use of cabozantinib or nivolumab over everolimus for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, researchers reported at the European Cancer Congress in Vienna, Austria.

6 Oct 2015

Clinical trial shows nivolumab drug improves overall survival, quality of life in lung cancer patients

An international team of cancer researchers that included UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians announced "game-changing results" using the immunotherapy drug nivolumab to treat certain lung cancers that failed to respond to first-line therapies.

29 Sep 2015

Phase II IMvigor 210 data shows atezolizumab may prevent progression of metastatic urothelial bladder cancer

Data presented today at the 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECC) demonstrates that the investigational immunotherapy atezolizumab may prevent progression of metastatic urothelial bladder cancer (mUBC) in all age groups by 2.1 months.

29 Sep 2015

$Atezolizumab may change treatment strategies for refractory lung cancer patients$

Atezolizumab may change treatment strategies for refractory lung cancer patients

Atezolizumab is set to substantially change treatment strategies for patients with refractory lung cancer, according to Dr Martin Reck, Chief Oncology Physician in the Department of Thoracic Oncology, Hospital Grosshansdorf, Germany. Reck's comments came as the results from the POPLAR and BIRCH studies showing the first results of efficacy with atezolizumab across lines were presented at the European Cancer Congress 2015 (ECC 2015) in Vienna, Austria.

28 Sep 2015

Nivolumab drug improves survival for non-SQ NSCLC patients

Patients with a type of lung cancer called non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-SQ NSCLC) have limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis once their disease has advanced and initial treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy has failed. Second-line treatment is usually with another chemotherapy drug, such as docetaxel or pemetrexed.

28 Sep 2015

Nivolumab drug significantly prolongs survival in advanced kidney cancer patients

The targeted drug nivolumab significantly prolongs survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer, whose disease has progressed after their first treatment, according to results to be presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress today (Saturday) and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Sep 2015

AstraZeneca presents lung cancer research data at WCLC 2015

Data will be reported from across AstraZeneca’s industry-leading lung cancer portfolio at the World Conference on Lung Cancer 2015, beginning this weekend in Denver, Colorado.

8 Sep 2015

First patient enrolled in Phase II trial of ImmunoPulse IL-12 and pembrolizumab combination therapy

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today announced enrollment of the first patient into the Phase II Investigator Sponsored Trial led by the University of California, San Francisco to assess the anti-tumor activity, safety, and tolerability of the combination of OncoSec's investigational therapy, ImmunoPulse IL-12, and Merck's approved anti-PD-1 agent, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma.

18 Aug 2015

Merck, MD Anderson form strategic clinical research collaboration to evaluate anti-PD-1 therapy

Merck and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a strategic clinical research collaboration to evaluate Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or novel anti-tumor medicines.

14 Aug 2015

CRI announces winners of 2015 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fueling the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, announced today the winners of the 2015 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research.

10 Aug 2015

CRI commits $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate development of cancer immunotherapies

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fueling the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, announced that it has committed more than $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate cancer immunology research and cancer immunotherapy clinical development in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.

5 Aug 2015

Regeneron, Sanofi to jointly advance new immuno-oncology treatment options for cancer patients

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi have entered into a new global collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize new antibody cancer treatments in the emerging field of immuno-oncology.

28 Jul 2015

Ludwig, CRI launch clinical trials to evaluate immunotherapies for treatment of GBM and solid tumors

Ludwig Cancer Research and the Cancer Research Institute have launched clinical trials evaluating an immunotherapy for the treatment of the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and a combination of immunotherapies for a variety of solid tumors.

8 Jul 2015

UNC Lineberger scientists contribute to better understanding of genetic mutations in melanoma

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have significantly contributed to a better understanding of the genetic alterations found in cutaneous melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, as part of a multi-institution, international effort of The Cancer Genome Atlas.

19 Jun 2015

CytomX closes $70 million Series D financing round

CytomX, a biotechnology company developing Probody™ therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the closing of a $70 million Series D financing round. The financing was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company with participation from Casdin Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, Deerfield Management, Perceptive Advisors, Redmile Group, Tekla Healthcare Investors and Tekla Life Sciences Investors, Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, Wellington Management Company and additional undisclosed investors.

17 Jun 2015

CheckMate for nivolumab in untreated melanoma, squamous NSCLC

Two phase III trials published in The New England Journal of Medicine support the use of nivolumab in patients with treatment-naïve metastatic melanoma and in those with squamous non-small-cell lung cancer who have failed first-line chemotherapy.

2 Jun 2015

MedImmune, AstraZeneca present encouraging results from new combination-focused immuno-oncology portfolio at ASCO 2015

AstraZeneca and MedImmune, the company’s global biologics research and development arm, today presented encouraging results from their novel combination-focused immuno-oncology portfolio at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015.