Daiichi Sankyo (Germany)

Cardiovascular disease remains a significant global health burden. Bempedoic acid is a novel, oral adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase inhibitor that lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have established its efficacy and safety, evidence from real-world clinical practice is needed. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to identify studies reporting real-world use of bempedoic acid as monotherapy, in fixed dose combination with ezetimibe, or in combination with any other lipid lowering therapy (LLT). MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to February 19, 2025. Two reviewers independently screened studies, with discrepancies resolved by a third. Data extraction and validation were conducted, and the risk of bias assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Of 269 records, 28 reports on 22 unique studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies evaluated LDL-C changes from baseline after initiation of bempedoic acid; one pragmatic randomized trial was identified. Bempedoic acid achieved LDL-C reductions of 15% to 39% when added to maximally tolerated statins, 22% to 38% in statin intolerant cohorts, and 18% to 42% in mixed statin intolerant cohorts. Safety data was limited; treatment discontinuation ranged from 9% to 36%, with higher rates in cohorts with greater statin-intolerance. This SLR shows bempedoic acid, with or without other LLTs, achieves a minimum of approximately 20% LDL-C reductions, consistent with RCTs. Data suggests it may be effective as an adjunct to statins and as an oral alternative for statin-intolerant patients.

Abstract Background: The DESTINY-Breast04 (DB-04) trial established trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) as the standard of care for patients (pts) with the metastatic breast cancer (mBC) newly classified as HER2-low status (HER2 IHC 1+, or 2+/ISH−). However, in the DB-04 trial, the number of pts with hormone receptor-negative (HR−)/HER2-low mBC was limited, and pts with stable brain metastases (BMs) were included, while those with active BMs were excluded. The HALLOW study (UMIN000051259) is a large-scale ongoing prospective observational study conducted in Japan with the aim of providing effectiveness and safety data for T-DXd in these clinically important populations, which were underrepresented in the DB-04 trial. Here, we report the interim analysis results for pts with BMs. Methods: The HALLOW study enrolled, from June 2023, approximately 600 pts diagnosed with HER2-low mBC (HR+/−, with/without BMs, including active BMs) who had previously received chemotherapy and were scheduled to receive T-DXd treatment. This interim analysis included pts diagnosed with BMs (current or past) by local investigators. For the effectiveness analysis, only those with BMs confirmed by Brain-independent central review (ICR) based on brain MRI and/or CT images were included. Active BMs were defined as cases where no local treatment was performed on the brain lesion or where there was regrowth or symptom worsening after local treatment. Effectiveness outcomes included intracranial progression-free survival (IC-PFS) and intracranial objective response rate (IC-ORR) assessed by Brain-ICR according to RECIST version 1.1, while progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed by investigators. For the safety analysis, pts who had received T-DXd at least once were included. Safety outcomes include incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) graded by CTCAE, including ≥ grade (Gr) 3 TEAEs, ≥ Gr1 interstitial lung disease (ILD), and ≥ Gr1 TEAEs that led to discontinuation of T-DXd treatment. Follow-up plan will continue until July 2026. Results: At the data cutoff date of August 31, 2024, 42 pts had physician-diagnosed BMs, of whom 33 were Brain-ICR confirmed and met the criteria for active BMs. In this set, the median age was 55 (range: 42-79) years; the median prior line of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting was 2 (range: 0-7); HER2 status at each local site was IHC 2+/ISH− in 7 pts (21%) and IHC 1+ in 26 pts (79%); 25 pts (76%) were HR+, 8 pts (24%) were HR−. 5 pts (15%) had Brain-ICR-confirmed leptomeningeal disease. At a median follow-up period of 4.1 months (mo) (range: 1.4-12.6), the median IC-PFS was 8.0 mo (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-not estimated), and the 6-mo IC-PFS rate was 57.6% (95% CI: 30.7-77.4) until the data cutoff date. A total of 22 pts was eligible for proper tumor evaluation during the follow-up period by Brain-ICR. Among the 22 pts who could be properly evaluated, the IC-ORR was 9.1% (complete response n=0, partial response n=2; 95% CI: 1.1-29.2). The median PFS was 6.7 mo (95% CI: 4.0-11.1), with a 6-mo PFS rate of 59.0% (95% CI: 34.9-76.7). The median OS was not reached, and the 6-mo survival rate was 77.1% (95% CI: 51.5-90.3). In the safety analysis set (n=42; median follow-up period: 4.1 mo [range: 0.4-12.6]), ≥ Gr3 TEAEs and ≥ Gr3 TEAEs related to T-DXd treatment occurred in 18 (43%) and 11 (26%) pts, respectively. ≥ Gr1 ILD occurred in 2 pts (5%), 1 (2%) of whom experienced Gr 5 ILD, and ≥ Gr1 TEAEs that led to T-DXd discontinuation occurred in 3 pts (7%), with two of these being ILD and the other seizure. Conclusions: While longer follow-up and additional data are needed to confirm these findings, the current data provide tentative support for the effectiveness and safety of T-DXd in this BMs population including active BMs, which was not included in the DB-04 trial. Citation Format: N. Niikura, T. Yamanaka, Y. Aoyama, A. Kataoka, T. Toyama, S. Sakai, M. Endo, K. Kaneko, H. Iwata, T. Yamashita, J. Tsurutani, R. Horii, Y. Kikawa, Y. Hirakawa, S. Yamazaki, W. Hashimoto, E. Tokuda, S. Saji. Interim analysis results for the effectiveness and safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with HER2-low breast cancer and brain metastases: The HALLOW study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD13-11.

BackgroundPatients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive early breast cancer and residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy are at high risk for recurrence.MethodsIn a phase 3, open-label, international, randomized trial, we investigated postneoadjuvant trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; 5.4 mg per kilogram of body weight) as compared with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; 3.6 mg per kilogram), the current standard treatment, in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer with residual invasive disease and node-positive disease at surgery or inoperable disease at diagnosis. The primary end point was invasive disease–free survival, and the key secondary end point was disease-free survival (including survival free from noninvasive breast cancers and second primary nonbreast cancers). Other end points included overall survival, distant recurrence–free interval, brain metastasis–free interval, and safety.ResultsA total of 1635 patients were randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive T-DXd (818 patients) or T-DM1 (817 patients). At the data-cutoff date, the median duration of follow-up was approximately 30 months in each group. Invasive-disease events or deaths were reported in 51 patients (6.2%) in the T-DXd group and 102 patients (12.5%) in the T-DM1 group (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.66; P<0.001); 3-year invasive disease–free survival was 92.4% and 83.7%, respectively. Invasive-disease events, noninvasive-disease events, or deaths were reported in 52 patients (6.4%) in the T-DXd group and 103 patients (12.6%) in the T-DM1 group (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.66; P<0.001); 3-year disease-free survival was 92.3% and 83.5%, respectively. The most common adverse events were nausea (71.3% of patients), constipation (32.0%), decreased neutrophil count (31.6%), and vomiting (31.0%) with T-DXd and increased liver-enzyme levels (aspartate aminotransferase [50.2%] and alanine aminotransferase [45.3%]) and decreased platelet count (49.8%) with T-DM1. The incidence of adjudicated drug-related interstitial lung disease was higher with T-DXd than with T-DM1 (9.6% vs. 1.6%). Two patients with interstitial lung disease in the T-DXd group died.ConclusionsIn patients with high-risk, residual invasive HER2-positive breast cancer, postneoadjuvant T-DXd resulted in a significantly higher likelihood of invasive disease–free survival than T-DM1; toxic effects were mainly gastrointestinal and hematologic. An important identified risk of T-DXd is interstitial lung disease, which requires appropriate monitoring and management. (Funded by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca; DESTINY-Breast05 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04622319.)

An analysis of literature data on the risk, mechanisms and methods of preventing the formation of seroma as the most common complication during abdominoplasty was conducted. The literature search was carried out from 2011 to 2024 using Pubmed, Springer, eLIBRARY websites in both Russian and English. It is assumed that the pathogenesis of seroma is based on the disruption of the integrity of lymphatic and vascular ducts, the formation of closed spaces, tissue trauma, which contributes to the release of in˜ammatory mediators. The incidence of seroma after abdominoplasty averages about 10%, although literature provides data on the level of this indicator up to 25%. Although seromas often resolve on their own, lack of treatment can lead to serious complications, such as wound edge dehiscence, infection, skin ˜ap necrosis, and pseudocyst formation. These complications signi†cantly compromise the cosmetic results of the surgery and increase the duration of hospitalization for patients. Considering that abdominoplasty is a planned operation, it is important to minimize the likelihood of seroma formation. A number of methods have been proposed to prevent seroma after abdominoplasty, including the placement of suction drains, the use of †brin glue, quilting sutures, progressive tension sutures, and the preservation of Scarpa’s fascia. The established e—ectiveness of the use of progressive tension sutures, sutures for tissue †xation, surgical glue and preservation of Scarpa’s fascia is con†rmed by data with a high level of evidence. The need for further randomized comparative prospective studies aimed at analyzing the use of various methods for preventing the occurrence of seroma after abdominoplasty is indicated.

We have developed the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea minuta as a useful host for producing heterologous proteins. In this study, a double mutant that lacks the Prb1 protease and alcohol oxidase was generated and applied for heterologous protein production. Upon our optimization of the fermentation conditions, such as feeding of carbon and nitrogen sources and pH control, this mutant showed increased production of human serum albumin, resulting in a yield of approximately 7.5 g/L at 21 days in the production phase. The established optimal fermentation condition with the double mutant was successfully applied to manufacture a candidate biologic protein: lipocalin derivative which is designed to attach to the calcitonin gene-related peptide, on an industrial scale. The candidate biologic protein was successfully manufactured at an industrial scale in a 4500 L bioreactor under well-controlled conditions. This first successful case highlights the potential of our O. minuta-based production system, and this study is helpful for a large-scale cultivation of a methylotrophic yeast for protein production.