What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 187 patients with pancreatic cancer. The study was sponsored by Pfizer and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Patients on the highest dose gained nearly 3 kilograms more than those on placebo.
The New England journal of medicine · 2024 · NCT05546476
These findings — that people on the highest dose gained about 6 pounds more than placebo — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 187 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with pancreatic cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was an early-stage study and ponsegromab is not yet FDA-approved for cancer-related weight loss. The results are promising and may lead to future approval. If you're losing weight because of cancer, talk to your doctor about nutrition support options and whether there are open trials testing this treatment.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open pancreatic cancer trials
Perioperative Fostamatinib With Gemcitabine and Nab-paclitaxel in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
This is a Phase 1b trial evaluating the combination of Fostamatinib, a Syk kinase inhibitor currently FDA-approved for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), with the standard of care chemotherapy agents gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel, for the perioperative treatment of resectable non metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Compliance With ERAS Protocol in Pancreatic Surgery, Stress Response and Outcomes
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of compliance with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program on patient reported outcomes (PROs), surgery-specific outcomes and stress response after pancreatic surgery. This prospective observational study will include all consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic surgery over a period of three years (2022 - 2025) at two sites, namely University General Hospital of Larissa and IASO Thessalias, in Greece. Patients will be prospectively enrolled after written informed consent. Data will be collected on patient characteristics, surgical and anaesthetic techniques, complications, and length of stay. Quality of life questionnaires will be administered to patients preoperatively, on the fith postoperative day, first follow-up after discharge, one month and six months after the operation. The stress response will be assessed by measuring the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR and PLR) preoperatively, and on the first five postoperative days. Data will be collected on pancreatic surgery-specific complications such as delayed gastric emptying (DGE), post-pancreatectomy haemorrhage (PPH) and postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) formation. Anonymised data will be uploaded by the principal investigator on a protected excel spreadsheet for analysis.