Hematology News

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded a $5.7 million grant to City of Hope to fund a trial of a novel hematopoietic stem cell transplant procedure for adults with severe sickle cell disease.

Soliris is a humanized monoclonal antibody that has emerged as a life-saving therapy for certain rare diseases but carries with it the risk for bacterial infections, particularly from Neisseria species. As such, vaccination against N. meningitidis and other encapsulated bacteria — like Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae — has long been recommended for people taking the drug. More recently, breakthrough meningococcal infections in appropriately immunized patients have prompted discussions of whether additional long-term antibiotic prophylaxis is needed.

The FDA today approved epoetin alfa-epbx, the first epoetin alfa biosimilar, for the treatment of anemia caused by chemotherapy, chronic kidney disease or the use of zidovudine in patients with HIV infection.

Click here to read the Cover Story, “Deeper understanding of disease biology may improve outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer.”

Home-based care is the most traditional form of health care.

Investigational testing of more than 4.32 million blood donations in the United States found nine that were confirmed to have Zika virus — a rate of around one contaminated sample per 480,654 donations, researchers reported today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Portola Pharmaceuticals announced the FDA approved andexanet alfa, the first antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban, when reversal of anticoagulation is needed due to life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding.

Vijay Sankaran, MD, PhD, received the third annual Gale and Ira Drukier Prize in Children’s Health Research.

Adults with chronic or persistent immune thrombocytopenia maintained ideal platelet counts and decreased bleeding rate after treatment with eltrombopag, according to long-term efficacy data from the EXTEND trial.

LentiGlobin BB305 gene therapy reduced or eliminated the need for monthly transfusions among patients with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia, according to results from two phase 1/phase 2 clinical trials.