Cancer survival gains emerge as cell-therapy deaths trigger Artiva retrenchment

Late-stage trials delivered survival gains in endometrial and head-and-neck cancer, alongside positive COPD and diabetes results. Two deaths in Artiva’s autoimmune cell-therapy trial and urgent medical-device alerts provided a counterweight, while Congo’s Ebola death toll exceeded 5,000.

Key developments

Endometrial cancer survival gain

A targeted drug developed by Merck and Kelun-Biotech reduced the risk of death by one-third in a phase 3 trial involving patients with advanced endometrial cancer.

The result supports a potential additional treatment for patients with advanced disease.

Oct 26 · STAT

Deaths precede Artiva retrenchment

Two patients died in Artiva’s phase IIa autoimmune cell-therapy trial. Accounts of the company’s response differed, describing either a shutdown or a 94% workforce reduction while it weighs strategic alternatives; the reports did not establish what caused the deaths.

The safety concerns put the extension of cancer cell-therapy approaches into autoimmune disease under closer scrutiny.

Oct 27 · STAT · Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Ne

Ebola spreads across borders

Deaths in Congo’s Ebola outbreak exceeded 5,000, according to government data, and cases were recorded in other African countries.

Cross-border cases extend the outbreak response beyond Congo.

Oct 31 · Medical Xpress

Hospital glucose-meter warning

Nova Biomedical updated instructions for StatStrip Glucose Hospital Meter Systems pending a software update, and the FDA classified the recall as its most serious type. If the defect occurs, customers with an alternative meter should stop using the affected device until it is updated.

The defect can expose hospital patients to serious injury or death.

Oct 30 · CDRH New - News and Updates | FDA

Head-and-neck cancer survival result

Genmab’s petosemtamab halved the risk of death in a phase 3 trial in frontline head-and-neck cancer, according to the reported results.

The finding supports a potential new frontline treatment, with applicability dependent on the full trial results.

Oct 28 · insights.citeline.com

COPD exacerbations reduced

Adding tozorakimab to inhaled maintenance therapy lowered moderate or severe COPD exacerbation rates versus placebo in two replicate phase 3 trials.

Patients who continue to have exacerbations despite maintenance therapy could gain another treatment option.

Oct 28 · The New England Journal of Medicine

Retatrutide beats Ozempic

Eli Lilly announced that investigational retatrutide reduced blood sugar and weight more than Ozempic in a large head-to-head diabetes study. One account described twice as much weight loss.

The comparison strengthens retatrutide’s potential as an alternative for patients seeking both glucose control and weight reduction.

Oct 28 · STAT · Everyday Health · STAT

First DNA immunotherapy approval

The FDA granted accelerated approval to Voceryq for adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, making it the first plasmid DNA-based immunotherapy approved for the condition.

Adults with the recurrent disease now have an additional approved treatment option.

Oct 31 · FDA Press

Myelofibrosis trial halted

Geron stopped its phase 3 imetelstat trial in relapsed or refractory myelofibrosis after a committee concluded that a survival benefit was unlikely.

The decision closes off this late-stage trial as a route to a treatment in that setting.

Oct 29 · CancerNetwork · Targeted Oncology · Medical Daily

Access expands to unproven peptides

HHS temporarily allowed compounding pharmacies to manufacture certain peptide products, easing access to six peptides despite objections from FDA scientific staff, who reportedly had little input.

Patients can gain access to products whose safety and effectiveness remain unproven.

Oct 29 · STAT · STAT · STAT

Also this week

Cancer treatment

• Apalutamide plus hormone therapy before and after surgery reduced metastasis or death risk versus standard care in high-risk localized and locally advanced prostate cancer, with supporting substudy findings. Medical Xpress

• Incyte said its targeted drug combined with chemotherapy produced lasting tumor responses in certain patients with pancreatic cancer. STAT

• Tecvayli monotherapy received EU approval for relapsed myeloma. Rare Cancer News

• Final DREAMM-3 results showed longer response duration with belantamab mafodotin in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, but no survival gain. Oncodaily

• Abemaciclib can raise creatinine in breast cancer patients without necessarily indicating kidney damage, and researchers found that a baseline measurement can help distinguish the two. Medical Xpress

• Mental disorders identified two to five years after a cancer diagnosis were associated with a 119% higher cancer death rate in a Stanford Medicine study, without establishing causation. Medical Xpress

Cancer biology

• Colorectal cancer rates rose across younger and older age groups in a study published in NEJM Evidence. Medical Xpress

• The REDMOD AI system detected pancreatic cancer warning signs on scans an average of 475 days before diagnosis and was nearly twice as sensitive as experienced radiologists. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• Single-nucleus RNA sequencing identified distinct cellular and gene-activity patterns in colorectal tumors from younger patients. Nature (Nature Medicine) · Medical Xpress · STAT

• University of Chicago researchers found that radiation activates TET2 in bone-marrow immune cells, promoting immune suppression, and identified a mechanism to redirect those cells against tumors. Medical Xpress

• Johns Hopkins researchers identified how a Bacteroides fragilis toxin damages the colon’s protective lining, triggers chronic inflammation and promotes tumor formation. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• MD Anderson researchers identified a pathway supporting production of cancer-driving proteins, including KRAS, suggesting an enzyme target for research on treatment resistance. Medical Xpress

• University of Virginia researchers developed an experimental glioblastoma strategy combining focused ultrasound, nanoparticles and microRNAs to target multiple cancer-driving genes. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

Metabolic and clinical care

• Weight-loss surgery produced more durable type 2 diabetes remission than intensive medical and lifestyle management in a long-term study. Medical Xpress

• An intensive low-calorie diet and structured exercise program produced six-month diabetes remission in 54% of adults under 45, compared with 4% receiving usual care. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• A clinical trial found that an inexpensive liquid treatment could stop cavities in young children without drilling, injections or anesthesia. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• Four cycles of stimulated intrauterine insemination failed to establish noninferiority to one complete IVF cycle for cumulative live births in unexplained infertility, which alone does not prove IVF superiority. The New England Journal of Medicine

• CT-guided coronary intervention matched intravascular ultrasound-guided outcomes in the 1,105-patient P4 trial, with procedures 17 minutes shorter. Stock Titan · Quantisnow · Quiver Quantitative

• Immediate 14-day ECG monitoring did not significantly reduce patient-reported syncope at one year compared with standard care after an inconclusive emergency-department evaluation. The New England Journal of Medicine

• Blocking a newly identified cholesterol pathway lowered LDL in mice, while an experimental drug targeting the pathway passed an early human safety trial. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

Brain and behavior

• Medicaid adults starting higher-dose opioids for a new low-back-pain episode were about 2.5 times as likely to later show signs of opioid use disorder or overdose, an association that does not establish causation. Medical Xpress

• Sabirnetug missed the primary endpoint in a phase 2 Alzheimer’s disease trial. Psychiatric Times

• An international blood-test study estimated that individuals at highest risk of Alzheimer’s-related decline had a 38% chance of impairment within five years and 78% within 10 years. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• Long-term exposure to a common pesticide was associated with more than 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson’s disease in a UCLA study that also identified a brain-cell damage mechanism and potential protective approach. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

• The highest artificial sweetener consumption was associated with 62% faster cognitive decline in a study of nearly 13,000 adults, without establishing causation. Top Health News -- ScienceDaily

Regulation and devices

• The FDA released details of a faster approval pathway for personalized gene therapies, welcomed by rare-disease advocates. STAT

• B. Braun advised customers to remove certain Streamline Bloodline Sets for Dialog+ from use or sale, prompting an FDA early alert about a potentially high-risk issue. CDRH New - News and Updates | FDA

• The FDA issued an early alert about removal or correction of all Medline-brand beds and accessories as Medline notified customers of its discontinuation and market exit for those products. CDRH New - News and Updates | FDA

Public health

• U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% in 2024, with preliminary 2025 data indicating a further decline. STAT

• The Lancet Countdown found accelerating heat-related deaths, drought and other climate-related health risks, while WHO noted emerging health benefits from clean energy and climate action. News - WHO

• WHO confirmed that Barbados eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission as a public-health problem, a designation that does not mean all transmission has ended. News - WHO

What to watch

• Watch for the StatStrip software update that would allow affected meters to return to use under the recall instructions; its release timing is not announced.

• Watch for resolution of Artiva’s strategic alternatives and whether the outcome is a shutdown or another course; timing is also unannounced.

• Watch for final 2025 U.S. overdose mortality results to establish whether the decline indicated by preliminary data holds; no release date is given.