Biologic drugs play an important role in treating cancers such as breast cancer and lymphoma, but their high costs can add to the financial burden of cancer care. Now, lower-cost versions known as biosimilars are gaining ground, and a study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests their growing use is associated with lower costs for both insurers and patients.
UCLA researchers have received a grant worth up to $7 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to launch a first-in-human clinical trial evaluating whether drugs already used to treat autoimmune diseases can prevent or reverse immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced type 1 diabetes, a rare but often permanent complication of cancer immunotherapy.
