The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Twice-Yearly Depemokimab in Severe Asthma with an Eosinophilic Phenotype.
Depemokimab is an ultra-long-acting biologic therapy with enhanced binding affinity for interleukin-5 that may enable effective 6-month dosing intervals. ⋯ Depemokimab reduced the annualized rate of exacerbations among patients with severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype. (Funded by GSK; SWIFT-1 and SWIFT-2 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT04719832 and NCT04718103.).
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Ponsegromab for the Treatment of Cancer Cachexia.
Cachexia is a common complication of cancer and is associated with an increased risk of death. The level of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), a circulating cytokine, is elevated in cancer cachexia. In a small, open-label, phase 1b study involving patients with cancer cachexia, ponsegromab, a humanized monoclonal antibody inhibiting GDF-15, was associated with improved weight, appetite, and physical activity, along with suppressed serum GDF-15 levels. ⋯ Among patients with cancer cachexia and elevated GDF-15 levels, the inhibition of GDF-15 with ponsegromab resulted in increased weight gain and overall activity level and reduced cachexia symptoms, findings that confirmed the role of GDF-15 as a driver of cachexia. (Funded by Pfizer; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05546476.).
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Levofloxacin Preventive Treatment in Children Exposed to MDR Tuberculosis.
Worldwide, approximately 2 million children younger than 15 years of age are infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with MDR tuberculosis developing in approximately 30,000 annually. Evidence from randomized, controlled trials on tuberculosis preventive treatment in persons exposed to MDR tuberculosis is lacking. ⋯ Although preventive treatment with levofloxacin led to a lower incidence of tuberculosis than placebo among children with household exposure to MDR tuberculosis, the difference was not significant. (Supported by Unitaid and others; TB-CHAMP ISRCTN Registry number, ISRCTN92634082.).
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Levofloxacin for the Prevention of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Vietnam.
Prevention of drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global health priority. However, trials evaluating the effectiveness of treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among contacts of persons with drug-resistant tuberculosis are lacking. ⋯ Although the incidence of tuberculosis was lower in the levofloxacin group than in the placebo group at 30 months, the difference was not significant. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; VQUIN MDR Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12616000215426.).