I-O blockbusters from Merck, BMS and more linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes: study

In the month ending April 7, 423 cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were diagnosed with COVID-19, 20% of whom developed serious respiratory symptoms. That in and of itself wasn’t surprising, given that cancer patients are immuno-compromised and therefore face a higher risk of struggling with the virus.

But one trend that emerged among those COVID victims did surprise their MSK oncologists: The risk of poor outcomes was higher among patients who had been treated with drugs that inhibit “checkpoints” such as PD-1 and CTLA-4 so the immune system can recognize and attack cancer, according to a study (PDF) published in Nature Medicine.