Trending News Today: Niraparib Improves Survival as First-Line Maintenance Therapy in Ovarian Cancer

GlaxoSmithKline’s niraparib (Zejula) met its primary endpoint in the phase 3 PRIMA study, which evaluated the drug as a first-line maintenance therapy in patients with ovarian cancer following platinum-based chemotherapy, according to a press release. GlaxoSmithKline reported that niraparib demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival for women regardless of their biomarker status. The safety and tolerability profile of niraparib was consistent with previous clinical trials.

A recent study showed that obesity appears to be associated with an increased pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and that obese patients did not respond well to first-line therapies, MD Magazine reported. According to the article, the single-center retrospective study included 453 patients with relapsing-remitting pediatric MS. The results showed that obesity was associated with a statistically significant 2-fold odds of MS in both sexes, with obese patients having a statistically significant higher rate of relapse on first-line treatment and higher rates of second-line treatment, the article reported.

Abbott Laboratories is planning to increase production of its lower-cost continuous glucose monitor, FreeStyle Libre, by 3 to 5 times in the next few years, Reuters reported. According to the article, the FreeStyle Libre allows individuals with diabetes to track blood sugar levels without multiple daily finger sticks. Abbott officials said the increase in manufacturing capacity will begin in the second half of this year and make room for the expected US launch of the FreeStyle Libre 2, the article reported.