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Two clinical trials for cancer were recently halted for the best possible reason; the drugs worked so well that it would be unethical to continue. One trial was for melanoma and the other was for lung cancer, but the drug-target was the same: Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1).
PD-1 is a protein that inhibits responses from T cells. Cancer often takes advantage of the PD-1 pathway to prevent a productive immune response that would otherwise kill the cancer. The drugs in both the clinical trials are antibodies that bind to PD-1, thus preventing cancer-mediated inhibition of the immune response. As this is a general mechanism that cancer uses to evade the immune system, it will likely be effective at treating other forms of cancer besides melanoma and lung cancer. Also, since the drugs are targeting T cells and not the cancer directly, resistance will not develop as easily.
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2015/04/17/stopped_for_efficacy_again.php
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2015/03/24/the_best_way_to_halt_a_clinical_trial.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmed_cell_death_1
We looked around briefly and also found:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm412802.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/24/us-merck-melanoma-idUSKBN0MK1FO20150324
(Score: 1) by btendrich on Sunday April 19 2015, @12:06AM
I'm curious also. My father underwent a cancer treatment clinical trial a few years ago and my understanding was that the control group was not given a placebo, they just were treated per the "normal" protocol as opposed to the study protocol. At the time I was lead to believe that was how all cancer clinical trials worked, since it would be entirely unethical to withhold *any* treatment (give them a placebo), so the study was one treatment vs. another rather than one treatment vs. nothing at all.
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Sunday April 19 2015, @12:31AM
Yes, that's pretty much how it works now days. Nobody gets deprived of normal treatment.
But halting the trial gives them the option of treating the control group with a regimen that they are already approved for (by virtue of being in this study).
It does nothing for the rest of the cancer sufferers not enrolled in the study. Not until the drug is certified for general use.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.