Trial Cut Short After Baby Deaths
A trial involving sildenafil, better known as Viagra,
was halted in July after the deaths of 11 babies. The
drug was given to 93 pregnant women whose fetuses
had severe abnormal growth, according to a statement
from the Amsterdam University Medical Center, the
hospital leading the research. Researchers had hoped the
medicine, typically used to treat erectile dysfunction and
high blood pressure in adults, would increase placental
blood flow and encourage fetal growth, says Marc van
den Broek, science communication officer at the hospital.
The newborn deaths, from lung disease, could be linked
to an adverse reaction to the medicine, he says.FURTHER AFIELD
No Chemo, No Problem
Many women with early stage breast cancer don’t
benefit from chemotherapy, a large international study
found.
The paper, published in July in The New England
Journal of Medicine, focused on 6,711 women ages
23 to 75 with an intermediate risk of cancer returning
after surgical removal of a tumor. In the past, many
of them would have received chemotherapy as part
of their treatment. The researchers wanted to find out
if chemotherapy, which can have toxic side effects,
was necessary.
The women all had tumors that had not spread to their
lymph nodes. After tumor removal, the participants were
split into two groups: One received a hormone-blocking
drug and chemotherapy, and the other received only the
hormone blocker. The groups were followed for nearly a
decade. Researchers concluded that chemotherapy made
no difference in the women’s recovery. Nine years after
treatment, almost all the women from both treatment
groups were still cancer-free.
“This expands the group of patients who can be
safely treated without chemotherapy,” says Patrick
Borgen, head of the Maimonides Breast Cancer Center in
Brooklyn, New York, who was not involved in the study.
“It is an enormous step in the right direction.”A Much-Needed Boost
As people age, their immune systems degrade. That
leaves them vulnerable to infections, a leading cause
of death in older people.
In July in Science Translational Medicine, researchers
reported results from a trial in which people age 65
and older took a drug combination that suppresses a
complex of proteins. Previous research had shown these
proteins regulate the cell cycle, including cell death, and
suppressing them is thought to extend life span. But
scientists found an indirect benefit to tamping them down:
improved immune function.
Over a one-year period, the 253 participants who
completed the study experienced fewer respiratory
infections and significantly improved their response
to a flu vaccine.January/February 2019^ DISCOVER^63
FROM TOP: NEIL BROMHALL/SCIENCE SOURCE; GUSCHENKOVA/SHUTTERSTOCK; IMAGE POINT FR/SHUTTERSTOCK