Exclusive: The FDA's surprise blood cancer drug rejection

Also: Widespread backlash against RFK Jr. for defending a Trump executive order shoring up herbicide linked to cancer ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

February 27, 2026 Check out STAT+

Sponsored By

Hello. Angus Chen, STAT's cancer reporter, here. I was a bit intrigued by a study in Cell Reports Medicine this week, showing that a modified anti-CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor might be helpful when combined with hormone therapy in prostate cancer. This is notable in part because immunotherapy hasn't been that effective in prostate cancer, and standard hormone therapy tends to desensitize prostate tumors to immune checkpoint blockade. Scientists at Mayo Clinic and Columbia University added the immunotherapy, BMS-986218, to androgen deprivation therapy in a small trial. 24 patients with high risk, local stage prostate cancer were randomized to either receive just hormone therapy or the combination prior to prostate removal. There doesn't seem to be a strong efficacy signal, but the combination seemed to create some interesting immune changes that could be signs of anti-cancer immune activity. For instance, it seemed to deplete the tumor of T regulatory cells, which are immunosuppressive, and activate other immune cells. If that's right, it might mean improvements in immune checkpoint blockade drugs could be a useful tool in getting immunotherapy to work in more cancers like prostate cancer.

Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images STAT+ | A rare disease drug was approvable, then it wasn't. Inside a surprise rejection by the FDA The agency's stated reasons for rejection of Ebvallo were at odds with previous exchanges, according to one of the drugmakers, Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals. By Adam Feuerstein Everything you need to know about RFK Jr., MAHA, and 'glypho-gate' Trump executive order promotes an herbicide many in MAHA would like to see banned. STATus Report host Alex Hogan examines the controversy over Roundup. By Alex Hogan STAT+ | Brain implants: What's standing in the way of pivotal trials, FDA approval Companies such as Synchron, Neuralink, and Paradromics are finding it easier to show safety than it is to define and measure improved patient outcomes. By O. Rose Broderick Adobe STAT+ | Digital twins, the holy grail of preventative health, are still only a 'Frankensteinian proof of principle' In the race to build digital twins of human patients, computing costs and data gaps are high hurdles. "It's a lot more complex than people had envisioned." By Mohana Ravindranath

More around STAT

---

In case you missed it Merck to create separate cancer division as Keytruda patent loss looms, Reuters Lawyers for US cancer sufferers challenge Bayer's $7.25B Roundup settlement deal, the Guardian July 2025: Cellular "trash bins" might be a key to reviving multi-cancer early detection tests, STAT

---

Check out more exclusive coverage with a STAT+ subscription Read premium in-depth biotech, pharma, policy, and life science coverage and analysis with all of our STAT+ articles.

---

Enjoying Cancer Briefing? Tell us about your experience Continue reading the latest health & science news with the STAT app Download on the App Store or get it on Google Play

STAT, 1 Exchange Place, Boston, MA ©2026, All Rights Reserved. I no longer wish to receive STAT emails

Update Newsletter Preferences     •    Contact Us     •    Advertise with Us     •    View in Browser