• Login
  • Register
Nairametrics
  • Home
  • Exclusives
    • Financial Analysis
    • Corporate Stories
    • Interviews
    • Investigations
    • Metrics
    • Economy
    • Nairalytics
  • Markets
    • Currencies
    • Cryptos
    • Commodities
    • Equities
      • Company Results
      • Dividends
      • Stock Market
    • Fixed Income
    • Market Views
    • Securities
  • Sectors
    • Agriculture
    • Aviation
    • Company News
    • Consumer Goods
    • Corporate Updates
    • Corporate deals
    • Corporate Press Releases
    • Energy
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Health
    • Hospitality & Travel
    • Manufacturing
    • Real Estate and Construction
    • Renewables & Sustainability
    • Tech News
  • Business News
    • Budget
    • Public Debt
    • Funds Management
    • Tax
  • Financial Literacy
    • Career tips
    • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Billionaire Watch
    • Profiles
  • Opinions
    • Blurb
    • Op-Eds
    • Research Analysis
  • Recapitalization
    • Access Holdings Offer
    • Fidelity Bank Offer
    • GTCO Offer
    • Zenith Bank Offer
  • Home
  • Exclusives
    • Financial Analysis
    • Corporate Stories
    • Interviews
    • Investigations
    • Metrics
    • Economy
    • Nairalytics
  • Markets
    • Currencies
    • Cryptos
    • Commodities
    • Equities
      • Company Results
      • Dividends
      • Stock Market
    • Fixed Income
    • Market Views
    • Securities
  • Sectors
    • Agriculture
    • Aviation
    • Company News
    • Consumer Goods
    • Corporate Updates
    • Corporate deals
    • Corporate Press Releases
    • Energy
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Health
    • Hospitality & Travel
    • Manufacturing
    • Real Estate and Construction
    • Renewables & Sustainability
    • Tech News
  • Business News
    • Budget
    • Public Debt
    • Funds Management
    • Tax
  • Financial Literacy
    • Career tips
    • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Billionaire Watch
    • Profiles
  • Opinions
    • Blurb
    • Op-Eds
    • Research Analysis
  • Recapitalization
    • Access Holdings Offer
    • Fidelity Bank Offer
    • GTCO Offer
    • Zenith Bank Offer
Nairametrics
No Result
View All Result
Home Sectors Health

Dostartlimab, new drug cures colorectal cancer after trial 

Ngozi Ekugo by Ngozi Ekugo
June 7, 2022
in Health
Dostartlimab, new drug cures colorectal cancer after trial 
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin

Medical researchers have discovered how effective a new drug that treats colorectal cancer is, as virtually every member of a clinical trial got cured.

The drug is Dostartlimab, a monoclonal antibody drug, which exceeded expectations in a recent trial that was run by Memorial Slon Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The trial was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the pharmaceutical giant.

Doctors were unable to find signs of cancer in the body of each of the 18 participants in the trial who had their disease go into complete remission one year after the trial’s completion.

RelatedStories

No Content Available

While the trial was small, it is considered game-changing and sets up the drug as a potential cure for one of the most dangerous common cancers known

What you should know

The treatment is for those with tumours of a specific genetic makeup known as mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) or microsatellite instability (MSI).

  • Patients in the study received monoclonal antibody treatments every three weeks for six months
  • The 18 patients who took part in the trial had gone through chemotherapy, risky surgeries, and other treatments for colorectal cancer before the trial.
  • The drug works by ‘unmasking’ cancer cells that are hiding, allowing the immune system to identify and destroy them.
  • After following up with patients 12 months later, researchers noticed that the cancer had seemingly vanished from their bodies, with the medical staff unable to find signs of tumours with any of the available screening methods. Thereafter, no further treatments were required.
  • At present, a total of 12 patients have completed the treatment and undergone at least six months of follow-up.
  • In the meantime, the positive results have only been seen in those 12 patients so far (the trial is ongoing)
  • The cost of the treatment is about $11,000 per dose

What this means

  • Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide as new cases, and deaths from the disease keep rising.
  • According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for the Research on Cancer, Nigeria is currently estimated to have 233,911 cancer cases, with 124,815 new cases and 78,899 cancer deaths yearly from its population of over 200 million people.
  • Studies show that if the current trend is maintained, the cancer burden in Africa is projected to double from 1,055,172 new cancer cases in 2018 to 2,123,245 by 2040.
  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality is gradually rising in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • CRC is now the 4th most common cancer in the World Health Organization-Africa region. This rising burden is reflected in Nigeria, where more than half of the patients die within one year of diagnosis.
  • It is approximated that 49,190 colorectal deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2016. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Nigerian men (after prostate and liver cancer) and the fourth most common cancer in Nigerian women (after breast, cervical, and liver cancer).
  • The cost of Dostartlimab is, however, expensive for the 72% of Nigerians who pay out-of-pocket for health care.
  • This is rather high compared to 45% in Ghana and 8% in Kenya, where most of the costs are covered by the country’s health insurance scheme.
  • Unlike Nigeria, Ghana’s health insurance scheme covers the treatment of most types of cancer.
  • “Cancer treatment is terribly expensive,” said former Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) President Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile. “It is out of the reach of anybody. I pray that I don’t have cancer because, even as a doctor, I will not be able to fund it.”

When Dostartlimab becomes available in Nigeria, it is hoped that the Nigerian government will subsidize the cost of cancer treatment and ensure that more funds are available to finance it, perhaps through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).


Follow us for Breaking News and Market Intelligence.
Tags: colorectal cancerDostartlimab
Ngozi Ekugo

Ngozi Ekugo

A high-performing labour market analyst/ talent acquisition specialist providing research on labor availability, labour migration, workplace trends and career development opportunities. Having worked across various sectors such as the recruitment, consulting, investment banking (Goldman Sachs) and the media, both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, I possess a unique blend of competencies and experience to thrive in any industry.

Related Posts

No Content Available
Next Post
Cuffs Prison Jail

Forex trader sentenced to 2 years in prison for stealing N20 million cryptocurrency

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Emple
nlng
first bank








DUNS

Recent News

  • JAMB releases 2025 UTME mop-up results across Nigeria 
  • Nigeria placed 3rd in Africa for highest Air Ticket charges in 2024 – New Report
  • Nigeria Customs warns public against fake July CBT recruitment shortlist, vows actions against fraudsters 

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

2025 UTME: JAMB to investigate mass complaints over low scores and technical issues 

JAMB releases 2025 UTME mop-up results across Nigeria 

July 6, 2025
Airlines, African airlines

Nigeria placed 3rd in Africa for highest Air Ticket charges in 2024 – New Report

July 6, 2025
  • iOS App
  • Android App
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Markets
  • Sectors
  • Economy
  • Business News
  • Financial Literacy
  • Disclaimer
  • Ads Disclaimer
  • Copyright Infringement

© 2025 Nairametrics

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Exclusives
    • Financial Analysis
    • Corporate Stories
    • Interviews
    • Investigations
    • Metrics
    • Economy
    • Nairalytics
  • Markets
    • Currencies
    • Cryptos
    • Commodities
    • Equities
      • Company Results
      • Dividends
      • Stock Market
    • Fixed Income
    • Market Views
    • Securities
  • Sectors
    • Agriculture
    • Aviation
    • Company News
    • Consumer Goods
    • Corporate Updates
    • Corporate deals
    • Corporate Press Releases
    • Energy
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Health
    • Hospitality & Travel
    • Manufacturing
    • Real Estate and Construction
    • Renewables & Sustainability
    • Tech News
  • Business News
    • Budget
    • Public Debt
    • Funds Management
    • Tax
  • Financial Literacy
    • Career tips
    • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Billionaire Watch
    • Profiles
  • Opinions
    • Blurb
    • Op-Eds
    • Research Analysis
  • Recapitalization
    • Access Holdings Offer
    • Fidelity Bank Offer
    • GTCO Offer
    • Zenith Bank Offer
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2025 Nairametrics