Medical advancements: Fasenra approved in Canada and mRNA lung cancer vaccine shows promise

Health Canada has approved Fasenra (benralizumab) as an add-on treatment for patients aged 12 and older with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), provided there is no known non-hematological secondary cause. HES is a rare group of disorders characterized by persistently high levels of eosinophils, which can lead to progressive and potentially fatal organ damage. The approval follows the phase III NATRON trial, which demonstrated that benralizumab could significantly delay the time to the first disease flare or worsening and reduce fatigue in patients.

In separate medical developments, a phase 1 clinical trial for BNT116, a personalized mRNA vaccine developed by BioNTech, has shown promising results for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The vaccine, which targets six tumor antigens to train the immune system to recognize cancer cells, reportedly doubled the time before tumor progression compared to previous expectations. The trial indicates that the vaccine can help maintain disease control while maintaining a manageable safety profile.