--- title: 'Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 29, 2026' headline: PHERGain reports five-year outcomes after chemotherapy de-escalation description: Nacuity started a Phase 3 trial for inherited retinal disease. An east London pilot is offering cholesterol injections at community pharmacies. url: https://thebench.bio/news/clinical/2026-10-29 topic: clinical date: '2026-10-29' covers: - '2026-10-29' date_published: '2026-10-29T12:03:04Z' date_modified: '2026-10-29T12:03:04Z' tags: - Clinical - Industry sources: 3 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 29, 2026 **PHERGain reports five-year outcomes after chemotherapy de-escalation** Nacuity started a Phase 3 trial for inherited retinal disease. An east London pilot is offering cholesterol injections at community pharmacies. ## Today in brief Five-year invasive disease-free survival in PHERGain was estimated at 89.5% in group B after a median 5.6 years of follow-up. [1] The estimate was 92.4% among PET responders who had no detectable cancer after treatment without chemotherapy, but this subgroup analysis cannot show that omitting chemotherapy caused the result. [1] Nacuity Pharmaceuticals dosed the first patient in a Phase 3 trial of NPI-001 for retinitis pigmentosa associated with Usher syndrome. [2] Barts Health NHS Trust and UCLPartners launched an east London pharmacy pilot that aims to refer at least 180 patients for inclisiran injections over 14 months. [3] ## PHERGain reports five-year outcomes after response-guided chemotherapy omission In the randomized Phase 2 PHERGain trial, estimated five-year invasive disease-free survival was 89.5% in group B after a median follow-up of 5.6 years. [1] The trial tested whether PET scans could guide treatment for people with HER2-positive early breast cancer and identify those who might avoid chemotherapy. [1] Among 86 group B patients who responded on PET scans and achieved a pathological complete response without chemotherapy, estimated five-year invasive disease-free survival was 92.4%. One patient had a distant recurrence. [1] The authors describe this subgroup result as descriptive, not evidence that omitting chemotherapy caused the outcome. [1] Detectable circulating tumor DNA, fragments of tumor DNA in the blood, at baseline or during treatment was associated with worse invasive disease-free survival. [1] DNA clearance correlated with higher rates of pathological complete response and better long-term outcomes. The authors said it may help tailor treatment. [1] ## Nacuity begins Phase 3 trial of oral treatment for inherited retinal disease Nacuity Pharmaceuticals dosed the first patient in its global Phase 3 SLO-RP Preserve trial of NPI-001 for retinitis pigmentosa associated with Usher syndrome. [2] The randomized, double-masked study will test whether the oral treatment can reduce photoreceptor loss and slow disease progression. [2] The trial plans to enroll up to 80 adults and run for 24 months, with participants assigned to NPI-001 or placebo twice daily. [2] Recruitment is underway in Australia and the United States. [2] The FDA has granted NPI-001 fast track and orphan drug designations for retinitis pigmentosa. [2] ## East London pilot brings inclisiran injections to community pharmacies Barts Health NHS Trust and UCLPartners launched an east London pilot to give inclisiran injections at community pharmacies instead of hospital lipid clinics. [3] The program aims to refer at least 180 patients over 14 months. More pharmacies are expected to join the initial sites in Waltham Forest, Ilford, and Plaistow. [3] Inclisiran lowers LDL cholesterol, with clinical trials showing reductions of about 50%. NICE recommends it for eligible patients. [3] The pilot aims to shorten waits and ease pressure on hospital clinics. The approach could spread to other NHS trusts if it succeeds. [3] ## The day in numbers - **92.4%**: Estimated five-year invasive disease-free survival among 86 PHERGain patients who responded on PET scans and achieved a pathological complete response without chemotherapy. The subgroup result is descriptive. [1] - **80 adults**: Maximum planned enrollment in Nacuity's Phase 3 SLO-RP Preserve trial. [2] - **180 patients**: Minimum number the east London inclisiran pilot aims to refer for pharmacy-based injections. [3] ## Also published - [Navigating the complexities of running clinical trials amid disruption ](), Clinical Trials Arena - [How Embedding Research Into Routine Community Care Changes Who Gets Access](), Applied Clinical Trials - [ACT Brief: Community Trial Access Technology, RBQM Infrastructure, and Digital Clone Use Cases](), Applied Clinical Trials - [How Preventative Medications May Impact the Lingering Impact of COVID-19](), Pharmaceutical Executive - [What a cancer survivor sees that AI could miss in trial design](), PharmaVoice - [What It Would Take to Make Community Trials Accessible and Scalable](), Applied Clinical Trials - [ACT Brief: Legacy Trial Workflows, Medical Writing Talent Gaps, and Post-Exposure COVID Prevention](), Applied Clinical Trials - [Should There be More of a Focus on Developing Preventative Medications](), Pharmaceutical Executive ## Sources 1. [5-year outcomes of chemotherapy de-escalation in HER2-positive early breast cancer and exploratory circulating tumor DNA analyses from the randomized phase 2 PHERGain trial](), Nature Medicine, 2026-10-29 2. [First patient dosed in Nacuity’s Phase III Usher syndrome RP trial](), Clinical Trials Arena, 2026-10-29 3. [East London pharmacies pilot cholesterol-lowering injections to cut waiting times](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-29 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: