Of adaptive and factorial designs A biostatistician’s interpretation of last week’s ODAC

Raja Flores says oncology is loose with staging jargon, and now “it’s confusing my patients.”

In last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter, Raja Flores wrote a guest editorial explaining how he, with his expertise in thoracic surgery, took issue with a nuance in a recent Keytruda commercial.

August 19, 2026

Guest Editorial

The defining question of the next decade is not how many drug candidates can be generated, but who decides which ones move forward, and why
Drug development must convene a forum for candid, cross-sector discussion

At the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, results from the phase III HARMONi-6 trial were presented at the plenary session and published simultaneously in The Lancet. The HARMONi-6 trial tested a novel bispecific antibody that engages PD-1 and VEGF (ivonescimab), given with platinum-doublet chemotherapy to patients with previously untreated advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

August 14, 2026

Vol.52 No.32

By Richard L. Schilsky, H. Kim Lyerly, Thomas R. Fleming and Renzo Canetta

Clinical Roundup

SANRECO phase II study of divesiran in polycythemia vera meets primary endpoint

The SANRECO phase II trial of divesiran, a first-in-class siRNA, in 48 phlebotomy-dependent patients with polycythemia vera, met its primary endpoint and secondary endpoints. The 36-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled portion of the trial administered divesiran subcutaneously (6 mg/kg) every six weeks or every twelve weeks.

August 14, 2026

Vol.52 No.32

Drugs & Targets

FDA grants accelerated approval to iberdomide with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for multiple myeloma

FDA granted accelerated approval to iberdomide (Zenbexus) in combination with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for adults with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.

August 14, 2026

Vol.52 No.32

Drugs & Targets

FDA advisory committee to vote on GRAIL’s multi-cancer detection test, Galleri

FDA announced a forthcoming hybrid meeting of the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee on Sept. 23 to discuss, make recommendations, and vote on information regarding the premarket approval application for the Galleri test sponsored by GRAIL, Inc.

August 14, 2026

Vol.52 No.32

Drugs & Targets

FDA approves companion diagnostic supporting patients with advanced melanoma

FDA approved Labcorp’s PGDx elio tissue complete CDx as a companion diagnostic to help identify patients with advanced melanoma with certain BRAF variants who may benefit from treatment with FDA-approved targeted therapies.

August 14, 2026

Vol.52 No.32

Of adaptive and factorial designs

A biostatistician’s interpretation of last week’s ODAC

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Raja Flores says oncology is loose with staging jargon, and now “it’s confusing my patients.”

The defining question of the next decade is not how many drug candidates can be generated, but who decides which ones move forward, and why
Drug development must convene a forum for candid, cross-sector discussion

SANRECO phase II study of divesiran in polycythemia vera meets primary endpoint

FDA grants accelerated approval to iberdomide with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for multiple myeloma

FDA advisory committee to vote on GRAIL’s multi-cancer detection test, Galleri

FDA approves companion diagnostic supporting patients with advanced melanoma

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Of adaptive and factorial designs

A biostatistician’s interpretation of last week’s ODAC

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Raja Flores says oncology is loose with staging jargon, and now “it’s confusing my patients.”

The defining question of the next decade is not how many drug candidates can be generated, but who decides which ones move forward, and whyDrug development must convene a forum for candid, cross-sector discussion

SANRECO phase II study of divesiran in polycythemia vera meets primary endpoint

FDA grants accelerated approval to iberdomide with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for multiple myeloma

FDA advisory committee to vote on GRAIL’s multi-cancer detection test, Galleri

FDA approves companion diagnostic supporting patients with advanced melanoma

Never miss an issue!

Login

The defining question of the next decade is not how many drug candidates can be generated, but who decides which ones move forward, and why
Drug development must convene a forum for candid, cross-sector discussion