Iowa woman saved by blood donations has special reunion with donors
In 2021 Beth Ades was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), which is a serious blood disorder. As a result, Ades had to undergo multiple stem cell transplants and blood transfusions before receiving a bone marrow transplant. Now, Ades says she's thriving and is celebrating the blood donors who helped save her life.
Record number of vehicles crashed into Iowa snowplows in Wednesday's storm
On Friday, in partnership with LifeServe Blood Center, Beth's 3rd ReBirthday Bash Blood Drive took place at P&P Electric in Webster City. In attendance were the very people who donated the blood that then went to saving Ades' life.
Both Ades and one of the donors said the reunion was an incredible experience.
'It was incredible. I've been looking forward to this day for so long, and I couldn't hold it together I was a mess, lots of crying and hugs, but they're forever apart of me. They're a huge part of the reason that I'm alive and I'm here today,' Ades said.
'It gives a face to a receiver. I donate to try and help people and everything and by meeting Beth it makes me feel good, like I'm doing something,' James Henning said, who donated platelets.
If you'd like to sign up to donate blood you can do so by visiting LifeServe's website.
Iowa News:
Iowa bill requiring citizenship status on IDs advances
Iowa woman saved by blood donations has special reunion with donors
Updated timelines, estimated totals for next rounds of snow in Iowa
Record number of vehicles crashed into Iowa snowplows in Wednesday's storm
WHO 13 Farm Report: Friday, February 14th
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Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Ascentage Pharma Announces Global Registrational Phase III Study of Lisaftoclax for First-line Treatment of Patients with Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome Cleared by US FDA and EMA
ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, Aug. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascentage Pharma (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855), a global, commercial stage, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, differentiated therapies to address unmet medical needs in cancer, announced that it has received clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to conduct GLORA-4 study (NCT06641414), a global registrational Phase III study of lisaftoclax (APG-2575), a proprietary Bcl-2 inhibitor, in combination with azacitidine (AZA), for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS). This marks the second registrational Phase III study of lisaftoclax to receive clearance from both the FDA and EMA. The GLORA-4 study is simultaneously enrolling patients at participating centers in multiple countries, to accelerate the drug's path to potential market authorization. To date, lisaftoclax is the only Bcl-2 inhibitor being advanced in a registrational Phase III trial in higher-risk MDS globally. This study, if positive, may potentially end the longstanding treatment gap in higher-risk MDS, marking yet another major milestone in the global clinical development of lisaftoclax. Dr. Yifan Zhai, Chief Medical Officer of Ascentage Pharma, said, 'Globally, we still lack targeted therapies for first-line treatment of patients with higher-risk MDS, which represents a huge unmet clinical need. Currently, hypomethylating agents (HMA) and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remain the primary treatment options for higher-risk MDS. In earlier studies, lisaftoclax has demonstrated promising clinical benefit and tolerability. The clearances of the GLORA-4 study by the U.S. FDA and EMA, coinciding with the approval by the China CDE, pave the way for lisaftoclax to potentially become the first Bcl-2 inhibitor approved globally for first-line treatment of higher-risk MDS and the first targeted therapy approved for this indication since the introduction of HMA, which fundamentally reshapes the treatment landscape.' The GLORA-4 trial is being conducted simultaneously in China, the U.S., and Europe. This will significantly accelerate the clinical development of lisaftoclax in MDS and accelerate the drug's path to potential market authorization. Moving forward, we will remain steadfastly committed to our mission of addressing unmet clinical needs in China and around the world, actively advancing our clinical programs for the benefit of more patients.' GLORA-4 is a multi-region, multi-center, randomized, double-blind Phase III trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lisaftoclax in combination with AZA compared to placebo plus AZA in newly diagnosed adult patients with higher-risk MDS. The study was originally approved by the China CDE in 2024. Currently, the study is enrolling patients globally, with the first patients already enrolled in China and Europe. Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, Chair of the Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), and Prof. Xiaojun Huang, MD, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, director of the Institute of Hematology at Peking University, and director of the Department of Hematology at Peking University People's Hospital, are global co-leading principal investigators of the study. MDS is a myeloid clonal disease originating from hematopoietic stem cells with strongly age-correlated characteristics. Global epidemiological data of MDS show an exponential increase in incidence with age (22/100,000 in the population aged over 65 years), with a median age of diagnosis of 70 years1. More than 75% of patients with MDS present a complex disease profile that includes at least two comorbidities2. The primary risk of MDS is clonal evolution leading to progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with 40-60% of higher-risk patients (high/very high risk, as classified by IPSS-R) progressing to AML within five years3. These patients have a dismal prognosis and a median survival of less than six months4. As the standard first-line therapy for higher-risk MDS, HMAs offer inadequate responses to treatment, with an overall response rate (ORR) of just 30-40%5, a complete response (CR) rate of 10-17%, and a median duration of response of 9-12 months6, 8. While allo-HSCT can offer a potential cure, it is limited by the median age of patients, complex disease profiles, common depletion of the hematopoietic stem cell reserve, and a transplantation-related mortality (TRM) rate of 25-35%. As a result, only 5-10% of eligible patients can receive transplantation7. The five-year survival rate of patients who are classified by the IPSS-R as high-risk remains at 16-24%8, highlighting an urgent unmet medical need for innovative therapies that can change the treatment paradigm. Lisaftoclax is a proprietary, novel, orally administered Bcl-2 selective inhibitor being developed by Ascentage Pharma to treat patients with malignancies by selectively blocking the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and restoring the normal apoptosis process in cancer cells. Lisaftoclax is already approved in China for adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) who have previously received at least one systemic therapy, including Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. Previously, the Company released the clinical data of lisaftoclax in combination with AZA in treatment-naïve (TN) MDS during the 2024 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. These data showed an ORR of 75%, much higher than HMAs alone, which demonstrated the clinical benefit of the combination regimen. The combination also showed a favorable safety profile, with a low incidence of severe hematologic toxicities and neutropenia-related infections. In addition, the proportion of patients requiring dose adjustments was low and there were no treatment-related mortalities within 60 days9, 10. Professor Huang commented, 'Despite the significant advancement in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, higher-risk MDS remains a major clinical challenge because of a range of factors. First, the current standard of care treatment with HMAs only offers limited efficacy, with just about one-third of patients achieving a response to treatment. Second, no breakthrough therapies have emerged globally in the two decades since the introduction of HMAs. As a result, there is an unmet clinical need for targeted therapies for higher-risk MDS. The compelling response rate and manageable safety profile observed in earlier studies of lisaftoclax are very encouraging. We hope this global Phase III study has the potential to provide new insights that could benefit how we treat and manage higher-risk MDS.' Dr. Garcia-Manero commented, 'Higher-risk MDS is more prevalent in older populations and thus presents unique clinical challenges. These patients often have multiple comorbidities and depleted hematopoietic reserves, making them less tolerant of treatment with particularly high requirement for safety. Preliminary clinical data of lisaftoclax demonstrated notable clinical benefit, with low rates of treatment-related dose adjustments and mortalities while maintaining significant response rates. We hope these characteristics of lisaftoclax will make it a potentially superior treatment option for patients.' References: About Ascentage Pharma Ascentage Pharma (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855) is a global, commercial stage, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, differentiated therapies to address unmet medical needs in cancer. The company has built a rich pipeline of innovative drug candidates that includes inhibitors targeting key proteins in the apoptotic pathway, such as Bcl-2 and MDM2-p53 and next-generation kinase inhibitors. The lead asset, olverembatinib, is the first novel third-generation BCR-ABL1 inhibitor approved in China for the treatment of patients with CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) with T315I mutations, CML in accelerated phase (CML-AP) with T315I mutations, and CML-CP that is resistant or intolerant to first and second-generation TKIs. It is covered by the China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). The Company is currently conducting an FDA-cleared, global registrational Phase III trial, or POLARIS-2, of olverembatinib for CML, as well as global registrational Phase III trials for patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ ALL and SDH-deficient GIST. The second lead asset, lisaftoclax, is the first China-approved third-generation Bcl-2 inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) who have previously received at least one systemic therapy, including Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. The Company is currently conducting 4 global registrational Phase III trials: the GLORA study of lisaftoclax in combination with BTK inhibitors in patients with CLL/SLL who were previously treated with BTK inhibitors for more than 12 months with suboptimal response; the GLORA-2 study in patients with newly diagnosed CLL/SLL; the GLORA-3 study in newly diagnosed elderly and unfit patients with AML; and the GLORA-4 study in patients with newly diagnosed higher-risk MDS. Leveraging its robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio of global intellectual property rights and entered into global partnerships and other relationships with numerous leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, such as Takeda, AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, and Innovent, in addition to research and development relationships with leading research institutions, such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan. For more information, visit Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements, including statements that express Ascentage Pharma's opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results of operations or financial condition. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties as discussed in Ascentage Pharma's filings with the SEC, including those set forth in the sections titled 'Risk factors' and 'Special note regarding forward-looking statements and industry data' in its Registration Statement on Form F-1, as amended, filed with the SEC on January 21, 2025, and the Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 16, 2025, the sections headed 'Forward-looking Statements' and 'Risk Factors' in the prospectus of the Company for its Hong Kong initial public offering dated October 16, 2019, and other filings with the SEC and/or The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited we made or make from time to time that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this presentation do not constitute profit forecast by the Company's management. As a result of these factors, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on Ascentage Pharma's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects and speak only as of the date of such statements. Ascentage Pharma does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information Investor Relations: Hogan Wan, Head of IR and Strategy Ascentage Pharma [email protected] +86 512 85557777 Stephanie Carrington ICR Healthcare [email protected] +1 (646) 277-1282 Media Relations: Jon Yu ICR Healthcare [email protected] +1 (646) 677-1855
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Mother and daughter, diagnosed with breast cancer five days apart, ring the bell at Hoag
Jeannette Reding was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer on Valentine's Day earlier this year. Hoag Hospital gave the same news to her daughter, Kristina Walters, five days later. The mother and daughter have always been close. They live in the same neighborhood in Orange. Now, they're both breast cancer survivors, and this experience over the last few months may have brought them together that much more. 'It's almost like it's been easier for my dad [Tony] and my husband [Mike],' said Kristina Walters, 43. 'My dad is a big worrier, but it was almost more calm. It was kind of a blessing in disguise, which is weird. You're not alone. You do feel alone, but you're really not. 'It wasn't like, 'Oh my God, poor us.' It was more like, 'Thank God we have each other.' Kind of crazy.' Walters finished her cancer treatments a couple of weeks ago. On Thursday, the family gathered as her mother also rang the bell signifying the completion of cancer treatment at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute in Newport Beach. Reding, 66, called it 'surreal' that her daughter was also diagnosed with cancer. 'I couldn't believe it,' she said. 'Here I am, and I have cancer, and she's invading my moment.' Both mother and daughter have gone in for mammograms each year, and catching the cancer early helped their chances. Walters had her breast cancer just on her right side — ductal carcinoma — while Reding had both ductal and lobular carcinoma. Each went through radiation, though they avoided chemotherapy. Reding said her older sister, Pat, who is also a breast cancer survivor and had a mastectomy, didn't go in to get checked out until she found a lump. Pat gave advice to both mother and daughter — and their experience highlights why early detection is important. 'Don't wait, just do it,' Walters said of her mammogram advice to other women. 'It's not a big deal, just get it done. That one year of waiting could change a lot of things. The technology nowadays is pretty incredible.' Dr. Elizabeth Kraft, a breast and oncoplastic surgeon at Hoag who treated both mother and daughter, said this is the first time in her decade in the field that she's seen two generations have breast cancer concurrently. Both had small enough tumors that they were eligible for oncoplastic surgery, which not only removes the tumor but allows for better cosmetic results for the breast. Walters underwent her oncoplastic surgery two weeks before Reding underwent a double lumpectomy with breast reconstruction. Both were performed by Kraft with help from Hoag plastic surgeons Nirav Savalia and Raquel Minasian, respectively. Kraft said her mentor, Dr. Mel Silverstein, was an innovator in oncoplastic surgery in the 1990s. He was recruited to Hoag in 2008 and started training other surgeons in a fellowship that was developed between USC and Hoag that Kraft herself went through before the partnership ended. Oncoplastic surgery is only offered in a couple of locations throughout the country, Kraft said, and the people teaching it came from the Hoag fellowship. 'I describe it to a patient like if you have a pizza,' Kraft said. 'If the whole pizza has a disease, you can't do much with that to make it a circle. But if we only have one slice of pizza we have to take out, we can really put the pizza back together in a nice way so that you're still the same shape and size. 'They're able to wear swimsuits again. They're able to wear the same bras. That stuff makes a difference, every day getting dressed. It was really amazing that we could offer them this. It's another positive outcome from this.' It adds up to a newsworthy story, something Mike Walters would know well. He's the co-founder and former news director at TMZ. The Walters' children — Tyler is 14 and Ava is 12 — were also able to attend Thursday's cancer bell ringing. Kristina said she will make sure that Ava goes through the proper screenings as she gets older. Kristina was emotional even before her mother rang the bell. 'Finally, it's over for her,' she said. 'It was hard watching her, because she was a lot more sore, and the burns and everything were harder for her. I was more happy for her, that she's done. She's not a complainer, but she's been in a lot of pain.' Reding certainly seemed to have a good sense of humor after ringing the bell. She had an area that didn't heal as well, which required medicated gauze each night. She said the smell was tough to bear for her husband, Tony. 'I lost my sense of smell during COVID, so it didn't bother me,' Reding said.
Yahoo
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- Yahoo
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