NVSEF - Novartis says drug combination outperformed chemo in children with brain cancer

Disclosing data from a global Phase 2/3 trial, Novartis (NYSE:NVS) (OTCPK:NVSEF) announced on Monday that its drug combination of Tafinlar and Mekinist reduced the risk of disease progression or death for a type of childhood brain cancer by more than two thirds compared to chemotherapy. The trial involving more than 100 patients aged 1 to 17 years was designed to evaluate the oral treatment compared to chemotherapy in BRAF V600 pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) requiring first systemic treatment. Highlights of the results include a statistically significant overall response rate (ORR) of 47% for Tafinlar + Mekinist combination compared to 11% in those who received chemotherapy. Data also indicate a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 20.1 months for the drug combo compared to 7.4 months for chemotherapy at 18.9 months of median follow up. Gliomas are the commonest form of central nervous system tumor in children. About 15% – 20% of

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Novartis says drug combination outperformed chemo in children with brain cancer