Clinical Trial Results Show Mesothelioma Drug Could Extend Patients’ Lives, Baron & Budd Reports

May 20, 2015  |  Mesothelioma, Press Releases

Tremelimumab May Help Body’s Immune System Destroy Mesothelioma Cells While Keeping Healthy Ones Unharmed

DALLAS (May 20, 2015) – Results of a clinical trial conducted by a team of Italian researchers showed a new drug could extend the lives of patients suffering from malignant mesothelioma, the mesothelioma law firm of Baron & Budd reports. The results were published in the April issue of the medical journal The Lancet.

The research team treated a group of mesothelioma patients with the immunotherapy drug tremelimumab, which is given intravenously. The drug is designed to help the immune system destroy malignant cells while not harming healthy cells nearby. According to the study, tremelimumab unmasks malignant cells, allowing the immune system to differentiate them from healthy ones.

A group of 29 patients were treated with the drug once every four weeks for a six-month period starting in July 2012, and then once every three months until July 2013. The average length of time the patients did not experience disease progression was 6.2 months, while the overall survival rate averaged 11 months. Approximately 48 percent of the patients reached the one-year survival mark.

According to the researchers, immunotherapy drugs may soon be incorporated into the treatment regimen for mesothelioma, which currently includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. A larger study of tremelimumab is underway, encompassing 102 locations in more than 20 countries. It is expected to end early next year.

“Advances in mesothelioma research are occurring at an exciting rate, helping raise hopes of not only increasing quality of life for patients, but also helping them live longer,” said Russell Budd, president and managing shareholder of the mesothelioma law firm of Baron and Budd. “We continue to be amazed by the work of these and other brilliant medical professionals.”

There is only one known cause of malignant mesothelioma, a form of cancer that most commonly attacks the lining of the lungs – the inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers.

If you or someone close to you has developed the disease, please contact the mesothelioma law firm of Baron & Budd to see if you may be able to take legal action against the asbestos manufacturers responsible. Call 855-280-7664 or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Established in 1977, Baron & Budd, P.C. is a prominent plaintiffs’ law firm committed to protecting the rights of individuals, municipalities, businesses and other entities. One of the first law firms to successfully litigate an asbestos lawsuit, Baron & Budd continues to actively represent veterans, industry workers, and others who have mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer. Determined to fight for the public interest, Baron & Budd is one of the largest plaintiffs’ firms in the country with a robust practice that includes asbestos exposure cases, environmental contamination, Gulf Oil spill damages, unsafe pharmaceuticals and medical devices, overtime violations, and financial fraud. Baron & Budd achieved the largest mesothelioma verdict in the United States in 2012. Visit Fight Mesothelioma, Baron & Budd’s dedicated mesothelioma website FightMesothelioma.com or call 855-280-7664 for information on medical treatments, mesothelioma cancer doctors and treatment centers, high risk jobs, veterans issues and financial assistance for asbestos cancer care.

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