Noted

Gilead will buy Forty Seven for $4.9 billion. In the deal, Gilead will gain access to Forty Seven's anti-CD47 agent magrolimab, which is being tested in blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Forty Seven is also developing antibodies that target SIRPα and cKIT.

The FDA approved the CD38 inhibitor isatuximab-irfc (Sarclisa; Sanofi) plus pomalidomide (Pomalyst; Celgene) and dexamethasone in patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. The approval was based on the phase III ICARIA-MM trial, in which patients who received the triplet had a median progression-free survival of 11.5 months, compared with 6.5 months in patients who received a pomalidomide–dexamethasone regimen.

The agency also issued a final rule requiring new health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements that consist of text and images of lesser-known health risks of smoking, such as heart disease and diabetes. Beginning in June 2021, the warnings must cover 50% of the front and back of cigarette packages, and at least 20% of the area at the top of cigarette advertisements.

Tolero Pharmaceuticals will join the Beat AML Master Trial, a multiarm umbrella trial run by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in which patients newly diagnosed with AML are matched to targeted agents based on genomic sequencing of their tumors. Tolero's AXL receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor dubermatinib will be available to patients with TP53 mutations and/or complex karyotype.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET-CT may be better at identifying metastases in men with prostate cancer than CT and bone scans (Lancet 2020 Mar 22 [Epub ahead of print]). Researchers assigned 302 men to undergo either PMSA PET-CT or standard CT and bone scans. They found that PMSA PET-CT was more accurate at detecting metastases than conventional imaging—92% vs. 65%, respectively.

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