December 2023, Vol 14, No 6

Madrid, Spain—A perioperative regimen of neoadjuvant nivolumab (Opdivo) plus chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in event-free survival versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus placebo followed by surgery and adjuvant placebo in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer.

On November 8, 2023, the FDA approved fruquintinib (Fruzaqla; Takeda Pharmaceuticals), an inhibitor of VEGFR-1, -2, and -3, for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in adults who received previous fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF therapy, and, if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate, an anti-EGFR therapy. The FDA granted fruquintinib priority review for this indication.

At the 13th Annual Association for Value Based Cancer Care Summit, held October 18-20, 2023, in New York City, Scott Gottlieb, MD, Former Commissioner of the FDA, gave the keynote lecture on how to foster innovation in oncology.

On October 27, 2023, the FDA approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi; Coherus BioSciences), a PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and as a single agent for adults with recurrent, unresectable, or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma that progressed during or after treatment with a platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots showed mixed results when it came to providing treatment strategies and direct-to-patient cancer advice for a variety of malignancies, according to 2 studies recently published in JAMA Oncology.

On November 16, 2023, the FDA approved the use of pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck) with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

Beware of a new model that at least one, if not more, of the BlueCross BlueShield plans are offering to their self-insured employer customers as a way to compete with the alternate funding programs that have been pushed heavily onto those same employers in recent years.

On October 24, 2023, the FDA approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo; Servier Pharmaceuticals), an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in adults with a susceptible IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

In a session during the 13th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care, held October 18-20, 2023, in New York City, Linde Wilson, MBA, Managing Partner, HealthQuest Advisors, discussed the ongoing challenges related to the development and implementation of value-based agreements.

On October 13, 2023, the FDA approved a new indication for nivolumab (Opdivo; Bristol-Myers Squibb), a PD-1 inhibitor, for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma in patients aged ≥12 years. The FDA granted this application an orphan drug designation.