ASCO 2015 Highlights

Changes in the design and interpretation of phase 3 trials for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have begun to emerge regarding statistical power, sample size, and the primary end points used. In a new study, researchers explored how the design and interpretation of these trials has changed over the past 3 decades.

Panitumumab (Vectibix) proved noninferior to cetuximab (Erbitux) in overall survival (OS) in patients with chemotherapy-refractory wild-type KRAS exon 2 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to the results of ASPECT (A Study of Panitumumab Efficacy and Safety Compared to Cetuximab).

The identification of oncogenic drivers has helped transform the care of patients with adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer diagnosed in 130,000 patients in the United States and 1 million persons worldwide annually.

Tampa, FL—The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib demonstrated activity in relapsed and/or refractory BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer, according to the results of a phase 2 clinical trial reported at the 2014 Society of Gynecologic Oncology meeting.

Los Angeles, CA—Worksite pharmacies have unique advantages over local pharmacies in caring for employees with cancer.

Los Angeles, CA—Worksite health centers can improve the quality and effectiveness of cancer treatment for employees while reducing costs for their employers.

Los Angeles, CA—Although targeted drug development and testing are clearly transforming medicine, resistance to greater uptake of personalized medicine includes a shift in the evidence threshold in personalized testing and drawbacks to the delivery system, including the cost of molecular tests, said Peter B. Bach, MD, Director, Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, at the Fourth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Los Angeles, CA—An agenda for personalized medicine must address quality control for test performance, billing and coding for molecular tests, and other practical challenges.

Value Propositions from June 2014.

Palonosetron HCl (Aloxi; Eisai) injection received a new US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indication for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) associated with initial or repeated courses of emetogenic chemotherapy in children aged 1 month to