• The U.S. Congress reached a deal on a $1.013 trillion budget package to fund the federal government through September 2015. The budget includes an increase of just $150 million (0.5%) for NIH over fiscal year 2014, to $30.084 billion, and an increase of just $27 million (0.54%) for NCI, to $4.950 billion, amounts that do not keep pace with inflation.

  • The FDA approved Gardasil 9 (Merck), a vaccine for the prevention of certain diseases caused by nine types of human papillomavirus (HPV), five more than Gardasil. Approved for use in females ages 9 through 26 and males ages 9 through 15, Gardasil 9 has the potential to prevent approximately 90% of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers.

  • The FDA also approved ramucirumab (Cyramza; Eli Lilly) to treat patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer whose tumor has progressed during or after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. The drug was first approved in 2014 to treat patients with advanced stomach cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

  • The American Cancer Society's annual cancer statistics report finds that a 22% drop in cancer mortality over two decades led to the avoidance of more than 1.5 million cancer deaths that would have occurred if peak rates persisted (CA Cancer J Clin 2015 January 5 [Epub ahead of print]). While cancer death rates have declined in every state, the report finds substantial variation in the magnitude of these declines from state to state.

  • An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of the investigational biosimilar filgrastim (Sandoz) for all of the same indications as its reference product, Neupogen (Amgen), a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor analog used in cancer treatment. This is the first time that a generic biologic drug has been recommended for approval.

  • In an updated policy statement, the American Society of Clinical Oncology called for greater access to and education about phase I clinical trials (J Clin Oncol 2014 December 15 [Epub ahead of print]). Barriers to clinical trial participation, such as the lack of insurance coverage for routine care in clinical trials, should be addressed, according to the statement.

For more news on cancer research, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://CDnews.aacrjournals.org.

©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.
2015