New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Three Trials on Pain, Cholesterol and Lung Cancer

The 13 August 2026 issue of the NEJM features results from phase 3 trials on a joint pain condition, a gene-editing treatment for high cholesterol, and a targeted lung cancer drug.

The New England Journal of Medicine has published three new studies covering conditions that affect large numbers of people in the UK. The trials look at secukinumab for polymyalgia rheumatica (a condition causing pain and stiffness in the shoulders, neck and hips, most common in people over 70), a base-editing approach to lowering harmful cholesterol, and selpercatinib for an early-stage form of non-small-cell lung cancer driven by a specific genetic change.

The REPLENISH trial is a phase 3 study — the final stage of clinical testing before a treatment can be considered for wider approval — examining whether secukinumab, a drug already used in some inflammatory conditions, can help people with polymyalgia rheumatica. The base-editing research targets PCSK9, a protein that regulates how the body clears LDL cholesterol (often called “bad” cholesterol) from the blood. And the third trial looks at selpercatinib in patients whose non-small-cell lung cancer carries a RET gene fusion, a relatively rare molecular marker.

Phase 3 trial results published in the NEJM carry significant weight in medical research, but publication does not mean a treatment is immediately available on the NHS. Medicines must go through separate approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and, for NHS use in England, assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) before they reach patients.

None of the three studies has yet been assessed for NHS availability.

Anyone with concerns about joint pain, high cholesterol or a lung cancer diagnosis should speak to their GP in the first instance, or call NHS 111 for non-emergency advice.