Unituxin Approved for Deadly Pediatric Cancer
Today the FDA approved Unituxin from United Therapeutics to be used in front line therapy for Neuroblastoma. The addition of immunotherapy to front line treatment for kids with neuroblastoma dramatically improves survival stats for these kids. Now kids with Stage IV high risk NB have a 63% survival shot. This drug has been in the pipeline for a long time, but not long enough for Hans to benefit from it. A clinical trial in 2010 showed strong evidence for using immunotherapy in addition to standard therapy vs. just standard therapy alone - (chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and stem cell transplant - the most brutal cancer treatment protocol know to man, as it was). It's amazing to see these changes in just the time since Hans was diagnosed, about 8.5 years ago. We still have a long way to go, but it's good to celebrate the good news!!
Hans was diagnosed too early to enroll on this clinical trial for frontline therapy. He did qualify for one round of immunotherapy, much, much later in treatment. We were grateful that our doctors were able to do that for him!!