NEJM original articles

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July 30, 2026 Vol. 395 No. 5

PARP and Androgen-Signaling Inhibition plus ADT in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Agarwal N et al. Editorial Precision Intensification in Metastatic Prostate Cancer saved

Background. A previous trial involving patients with metastatic prostate cancer that was resistant to androgen pathway modulation (formerly referred to as castration-resistant) showed that adding talazoparib to enzalutamide significantly improved imaging-based progression-free survival and overall survival, with the greatest benefit observed in the cohort with alterations in homologous recombination repair genes.

Methods. In this ongoing, phase 3, double-blind trial assessing talazoparib in patients with metastatic androgen pathway modulation-sensitive [APMS] prostate cancer harboring alterations in homologous recombination repair genes, we randomly assigned patients in a 1:1 ratio to receive talazoparib at a dose of 0.5 mg plus enzalutamide at a dose of 160 mg once daily (talazoparib group) or placebo plus enzalutamide at a dose of 160 mg once daily (control group). Randomization was stratified according to disease status (new or relapsed), disease volume (high or low), and BRCA (vs. non-BRCA) mutation status. The primary end point was investigator-assessed imaging-based progression-free survival. The key secondary end point was overall survival.

Results. A total of 300 patients were assigned to the talazoparib group and 299 to the control group. At 3 years, progression-free survival was 77% in the talazoparib group and 56% in the control group (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36 to 0.65; P<0.001). In this interim analysis, overall survival at 3 years was 78% in the talazoparib group and 72% in the control group (hazard ratio for death, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.56 to 1.04). Serious adverse events were reported in 42% and 32% of the patients in the talazoparib group and the control group, respectively. In the talazoparib group, the most common adverse events were anemia, fatigue, and decreased neutrophil count, and the most common event of grade 3 or higher was anemia, reported in 51% of the patients; two treatment-related deaths occurred.

Conclusions. Talazoparib added to enzalutamide led to significantly better imaging-based progression-free survival than placebo plus enzalutamide among patients with metastatic APMS prostate cancer harboring alterations in homologous recombination repair genes. Serious adverse events were more common with talazoparib plus enzalutamide than with placebo plus enzalutamide. (Funded by Pfizer; TALAPRO-3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04821622.).

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Teclistamab in Multiple Myeloma with One to Three Previous Lines of Therapy Touzeau C et al. Editorial Redefining Early Relapse in Multiple Myeloma - Time to Change the Rules saved

Background. The efficacy of teclistamab, a bispecific antibody targeting B-cell maturation antigen and CD3, as early-line monotherapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma is unclear.

Methods. We randomly assigned patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had previously received one, two, or three lines of therapy, including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody and lenalidomide, to receive teclistamab or the investigator's choice of pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (PVd) or carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd). Antimicrobial prophylaxis and immune globulin replacement were recommended. The primary end point was progression-free survival as assessed by an independent review committee.

Results. A total of 296 patients were assigned to teclistamab and 297 to PVd or Kd. At the interim analysis (median follow-up, 17.3 months), teclistamab significantly improved progression-free survival as compared with PVd or Kd (estimated 18-month progression-free survival, 69.8% vs. 26.9%; hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23 to 0.38; P<0.001). The percentage of patients with a complete response or better was higher with teclistamab than with PVd or Kd (65.9% vs. 16.8%, P<0.001). Overall survival was improved with teclistamab as compared with PVd or Kd (estimated 18-month overall survival, 79.2% vs. 68.6%; hazard ratio for death, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.83; P = 0.002). Adverse events of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 84.9% of teclistamab recipients and in 76.3% of PVd or Kd recipients, with grade 5 adverse events in 6.5% and 3.5%, respectively. Cytokine release syndrome, mostly of grade 1 or 2, occurred in 66.0% of teclistamab recipients, and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome occurred in 4.1%. Grade 3 or 4 infection occurred in 41.6% of teclistamab recipients and in 29.0% of PVd or Kd recipients.

Conclusions. Among patients with multiple myeloma and one to three previous lines of therapy, teclistamab significantly improved progression-free and overall survival as compared with PVd or Kd. Infections of grade 3 or 4 were common. (Funded by Johnson & Johnson; MajesTEC-9 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05572515.).

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Phase 2b Trial of a NaV1.8 Inhibitor for Acute Pain Singla N et al. saved

Background. Nav1.8, a voltage-gated sodium channel expressed in the peripheral nervous system, has a critical role in pain signaling. Previous trials of NaV1.8 inhibitors have shown effectiveness in reducing postoperative pain.

Methods. We conducted a phase 2b, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate LTG-001, a selective Nav1.8 inhibitor, in patients with moderate-to-severe pain after abdominoplasty. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive a 300-mg loading dose of LTG-001, followed by 150 mg every 12 hours (low-dose group); a 450-mg loading dose of LTG-001, followed by 300 mg every 12 hours (high-dose group); hydrocodone bitartrate-acetaminophen (5 mg of hydrocodone bitartrate and 325 mg of acetaminophen) every 6 hours; or placebo every 6 hours. All doses were administered orally over a 48-hour period. The primary end point was the time-weighted sum of the pain-intensity difference (SPID) over the 48-hour treatment period (SPID48), based on scores on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (range, 0 to 10, with higher values indicating more severe pain; higher SPID48 values indicate greater pain reduction). Secondary end points included the amount of opioid rescue medication consumed in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) and no receipt of opioid rescue medication.

Results. A total of 343 patients underwent randomization. The least-squares mean SPID48 was 161.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 142.93 to 179.16) in the low-dose group, 185.30 (95% CI, 167.26 to 203.34) in the high-dose group, 164.08 (95% CI, 146.02 to 182.14) in the hydrocodone bitartrate-acetaminophen group, and 123.22 (95% CI, 105.23 to 141.21) in the placebo group. The least-squares mean difference in the SPID48 between LTG-001 and placebo was significant for each dose (low dose: 37.82 [P = 0.003]; high dose: 62.08 [P<0.001]), and that between hydrocodone bitartrate-acetaminophen and placebo was 40.86. High-dose LTG-001, but not low-dose LTG-001, was associated with significantly lower opioid use than placebo (11.00 MME vs. 18.35 MME, P = 0.01), as well as a significantly higher percentage of patients who received no opioid rescue medication (52% vs. 22%, P<0.001). High-dose LTG-001 was associated with a higher incidence of pyrexia than placebo (7% vs. 2%) and a higher incidence of presyncope (6% vs. 1%).

Conclusions. LTG-001 led to significantly greater reductions in pain scores than placebo over the course of 48 hours after abdominoplasty. (Funded by Latigo Biotherapeutics; LTG-001-010 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT07102459.).

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Iptacopan in IgA Nephropathy - Final 24-Month Data Barratt J et al. saved

Background. Overactivation of the alternative complement pathway contributes to IgA nephropathy and glomerular inflammation. In the 9-month interim analysis of this phase 3 trial, iptacopan, a complement factor B inhibitor, led to a significant reduction of 38.3% in the 24-hour urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio as compared with placebo and had an acceptable safety profile.

Methods. In this phase 3 trial, we enrolled adults who had IgA nephropathy, an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area, and a 24-hour urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio of 1 or higher (with protein and creatinine both measured in grams) despite supportive care. Patients were randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive oral iptacopan (200 mg) or placebo twice daily. The primary end point for the final analysis was the annualized total eGFR slope as estimated over a 24-month period. Secondary end points included a composite kidney-failure end point (i.e., a sustained decline in eGFR of ≥30%, a sustained eGFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2, the initiation of maintenance dialysis, receipt of kidney transplant, or death from kidney failure), assessed in a time-to-event analysis. Safety was also assessed.

Results. Among 477 patients included in the final analysis, 238 had been randomly assigned to iptacopan and 239 to placebo. The annualized total eGFR slope was -3.10 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 per year with iptacopan, as compared with -6.12 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 per year with placebo (difference, 3.02 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.02 to 4.01; adjusted P<0.001). A composite kidney-failure end-point event occurred in 21.4% of the patients in the iptacopan group, as compared with 33.5% of those in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.81; adjusted P = 0.003). The incidence of adverse events was 87.0% in the iptacopan group and 89.1% in the placebo group. Serious adverse events occurred in 12.2% of the patients who received iptacopan and in 11.7% of those who received placebo, and serious infections in 6.7% and 2.1%, respectively. No deaths occurred.

Conclusions. Iptacopan therapy led to a significantly slower decline in kidney function than placebo. (Funded by Novartis; APPLAUSE-IgAN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04578834.).

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