Trending News Today: Early Trial Shows Therapeutic Potential in Blocking KRAS Mutation in Cancer

New data from an early-stage trial conducted by Amgen showed the first efficacy results in patients with cancer through efforts to block mutant KRAS, a cell-signaling protein that causes cancer, STAT reported. According to the article, discovering drugs capable of blocking KRAS has been difficult because the spherical protein has few effective attachment points for potential therapies. The investigational treatment, a small molecule pill called AMG 510, caused tumors to partially shrink in 30% of patients with lung tumors that tested positive for a particular kind of KRAS mutation, the article reported.

On Wednesday, CVS Health said its pharmacies will require third-party testing on all vitamins and supplements sold online and in its stores, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the article, the company announced that the third-party testing would seek to verify the accuracy of the ingredients listed and ensure that the products are free from certain additives and ingredients. So far, this testing has already been applied to 1400 vitamins and supplements with a supplement panel from 152 brands, the article reported.

A new study indicates that modifying diet to reduce fat may lower a women’s risk of dying from breast cancer, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, the study involved approximately 49,000 women over 2 decades and included healthy women who modified their diets for at least 8 years and who later developed breast cancer. There were fewer deaths from all causes among women in the lower fat group who later developed breast cancer, but only 383 women died of the disease, indicating that the benefit in absolute terms was small, the article reported.