Ramucirumab Shows Promise in Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Patients with pleural mesothelioma cancer experienced a significant survival advantage when ramucirumab, a novel immunotherapy drug, was added to chemotherapy in a treatment regimen. Ramucirumab, marketed by Eli Lilly and Company as Cyramza, is a monoclonal antibody that works by targeting and restricting a protein that stimulates blood vessel growth within tumors. An ongoing phase II clinical trial in Italy recently reported almost double overall survival rates when ramucirumab was added to gemcitabine in second-line mesothelioma treatment. “These positive data may be the beginning to change the clinical practice in the choice of second-line therapy for pleural mesothelioma,” said oncologist Dr. Maria Pagano, General Hospital Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Ramucirumab Has FDA Approval for Other Cancers The U.S. Food and Drug Administration already has approved the use of ramucirumab for certain types of liver, stomach and colorectal cancers. Its use with mesothelioma is still in the clinical trial stage. In the randomized trial of patients whose disease had progressed after first-line treatment of standard chemotherapy, 81 patients were given ramucirumab and gemcitabine in combination, and 80 received only gemcitabine. Overall survival rates from the start of the trial were 13.8 months for those getting the combination, and only 7.5 months for those receiving just the chemotherapy. The overall survival rates were 74.7% at six months and 56.5% at o...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news