STAT+: Merck drug may make chemotherapies less effective in cancer patients with obesity — but many doctors are in the dark

A drug used to combat fungal infections in cancer patients comes with a big caveat — research shows the medicine can last twice as long as in people with obesity. This means chemotherapies may be less effective when interacting with the medicine, but some clinicians, and their patients, are unaware of that possibility.

The information, however, is not in the label because the drug — originally manufactured by Merck — was never fully tested in this population. And the company has refused to update the language.

At issue is a medicine called posaconazole that was approved in 2006 in the U.S. but is now also sold by generic companies. As the original brand-name manufacturer, however, Merck continues to have legal responsibility for the labeling, which means that all available versions lack the details. And some clinicians argue this compromises safety and effectiveness for cancer patients who are also obese.

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