Phase 3 Study Results Demonstrated Three Year, Disease-Free Survival of 96% THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. , Dec. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced new data demonstrating that adding BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) to chemotherapy significantly improves disease-free survival (DFS) in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard risk (SR) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) of average or higher risk of relapse. The data are from a Phase 3 study (AALL1731) conducted by the Children's Oncology Group. The results were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine and will be presented during the plenary session on Sunday, Dec. 8 , at 2 p.m. PT at the 66 th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego . "Over the last decade, BLINCYTO has reshaped the treatment landscape for B-ALL, offering a critical lifeline for thousands of adult and pediatric patients," said Jay Bradner , M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development and chief scientific officer at Amgen. "These powerful new data leave us little doubt about the profound impact of this medicine for a large number of children affected by this disease. We are grateful to the Children's Oncology Group, along with the patients, families and clinical teams, for their dedication and partnership in advancing this critical study to improve the lives of children with cancer." Based on the results of the first pre-specified interim analysis for efficacy, the study met its primary endpoint of DFS and study randomization was terminated early based on the recommendation from the data and safety monitoring committee due to the benefit observed in the BLINCYTO arm compared to the chemotherapy-only arm. Overall, the 3-year DFS was 96.0% for patients treated with chemotherapy plus BLINCYTO compared to 87.9% for those treated with only chemotherapy. The hazard ratio (HR) was 0.39 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.64], indicating a 61% reduction in the risk of disease relapse, secondary malignant neoplasm or remission death with BLINCYTO. At 3 years, more patients remained alive and cancer free when treated with BLINCYTO plus chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone. "The AALL1731 study results are truly practice-changing, further solidifying blinatumomab's role as the standard of care for a large number of children with B-ALL," said Sumit Gupta , M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC, co-chair of the Children's Oncology Group AALL1731 study and oncologist and clinician investigator, Division of Haematology/Oncology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto . "These breakthrough data showing a significant improvement in disease-free survival are poised to bring substantial clinical value to children with newly diagnosed B-ALL." The addition of BLINCYTO to chemotherapy in standard risk patients resulted in outcomes similar to those previously achieved in only the most favorable pediatric risk subsets. Among SR-Average patients, 3-year DFS was 97.5% for patients treated with BLINCYTO compared to 90.2% for those treated with only chemotherapy (HR 0.33, CI 0.15-0.69). For SR-High patients, 3-year DFS was 94.1% for those treated with BLINCYTO compared to 84.8% for those treated with only chemotherapy (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.24-0.85). "Relapsed ALL remains a major cause of pediatric cancer mortality, with nearly half of the relapses occurring in children with standard-risk B-ALL," said Rachel E. Rau , M.D., co-chair of the Children's Oncology Group AALL1731 study, pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington . "These findings underscore the progress made with blinatumomab in preventing relapse and support its role as a critical addition to current therapeutic strategies." Safety results are consistent with the known safety profile of BLINCYTO. BLINCYTO has demonstrated a positive balance of benefits and risks, with only 0.3% of first courses associated with Grade 3+ cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and 0.7% with seizures. A higher risk of infections was observed in the BLINCYTO arm. These results provide the first evidence supporting BLINCYTO for use in the consolidation phase in newly diagnosed pediatric Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-) B-ALL patients. This groundbreaking first-in-class Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE ® ) therapy is now backed by additional evidence reinforcing its role in redefining a standard of care for both adult and pediatric patients, starting from one month old, regardless of measurable residual disease (MRD) status. The findings further establish BLINCYTO as a versatile first-line consolidation therapy across all ages and treatment backbones. The NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), which sponsored the study will share data with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of their ongoing communications relating to the trial. About The Children's Oncology Group The Children's Oncology Group (childrensoncologygroup.org), a member of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The Children's Oncology Group unites over 10,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities and cancer centers across North America , Australia , New Zealand and Saudi Arabia in the fight against childhood cancer. Today, more than 80% of the 15,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at Children's Oncology Group member institutions. Research performed by Children's Oncology Group institutions over the past 50 years has transformed childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease to one with a combined 5-year survival rate of 86%. The Children's Oncology Group's mission is to improve the cure rate and outcomes for all children with cancer. About AALL1731 (NCT03914625) The AALL1731 study was a Phase 3 randomized trial to determine if two non-sequential cycles of BLINCYTO added to chemotherapy improved disease-free survival (DFS) in children with newly diagnosed pediatric National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard risk (SR) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The study enrolled 4,264 newly diagnosed NCI SR B-ALL patients, of whom 2,334 were risk stratified at the end of induction therapy as either SR-Average or SR-High. At the first planned interim efficacy analysis (data cutoff June 30, 2024 ), 1,440 of the eligible and evaluable patients had been randomized. The AALL1731 study was designed and conducted independently from industry. The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) of the NCI sponsored the trial and provided funding to the Children's Oncology Group to conduct the study. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, Amgen provided BLINCYTO and support through an NCI Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) ALL, also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is a fast-growing type of blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen and central nervous system. ALL is a rare disease, with an estimated 6,550 new cases, affecting both children and adults, diagnosed in the U.S. in 2024. 1 B-ALL begins in immature cells that would normally develop into B-cell lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that grow in bone marrow. 2,3 B-ALL is the most common type of ALL, constituting approximately 75% of cases in adults and approximately 88% in children, the most common cancer in children. 4,5 About BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) BLINCYTO is the first globally approved Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE ® ) immuno-oncology therapy that targets CD19 surface antigens on B cells. BiTE ® molecules fight cancer by helping the body's immune system detect and target malignant cells by engaging T cells (a type of white blood cell capable of killing other cells perceived as threats) to cancer cells. By bringing T cells near cancer cells, the T cells can inject toxins and trigger cancer cell death (apoptosis). BiTE ® immuno-oncology therapies are currently being investigated for their potential to treat a wide variety of cancers. BLINCYTO was granted Breakthrough Therapy and Priority Review designations by the U.S. FDA and is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of: In the European Union (EU), BLINCYTO is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of: BLINCYTO ® IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME and NEUROLOGICAL TOXICITIES including IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELL-ASSOCIATED NEUROTOXICITY SYNDROME Contraindications BLINCYTO ® is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to blinatumomab or to any component of the product formulation. Warnings and Precautions Adverse Reactions Dosage and Administration Guidelines INDICATIONS BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) is indicated for the treatment of CD19-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adult and pediatric patients one month and older with: Please see BLINCYTO ® full Prescribing Information , including BOXED WARNINGS. About Bispecific T-Cell Engager (BiTE ® ) Technology BiTE technology is a targeted immuno-oncology platform that is designed to engage a patient's own T cells to any tumor-specific antigen, activating the cytotoxic potential of T cells to eliminate detectable cancer. The BiTE immuno-oncology platform has the potential to treat different cancer types through tumor-specific antigens. The BiTE platform has a goal of leading to off-the-shelf solutions, which have the potential to make innovative T-cell treatment available to all providers when their patients need it. For more than a decade, Amgen has been advancing this innovative technology, which has demonstrated strong efficacy in hematological malignancies and now a solid tumor with the approval of IMDELLTRA. Amgen remains committed to progressing multiple BiTE molecules across a broad range of hematologic and solid tumor malignancies, paving the way for additional applications in more tumor types. Amgen is further investigating BiTE technology with the goal of enhancing patient experience and therapeutic potential. To learn more about BiTE technology, visit BiTE ® Technology 101 . About Amgen Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative medicines to help millions of patients in their fight against some of the world's toughest diseases. More than 40 years ago, Amgen helped to establish the biotechnology industry and remains on the cutting-edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what's known today. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline that builds on its existing portfolio of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and rare diseases. In 2024, Amgen was named one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company and one of "America's Best Large Employers" by Forbes, among other external recognitions . Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average ® , and it is also part of the Nasdaq-100 Index ® , which includes the largest and most innovative non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. For more information, visit Amgen.com and follow Amgen on X , LinkedIn , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube and Threads . Amgen Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements on the outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential collaborations, with any other company (including BeiGene, Ltd. or Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.), the performance of Otezla ® (apremilast) (including anticipated Otezla sales growth and the timing of non-GAAP EPS accretion), Amgen's acquisitions of Teneobio, Inc., ChemoCentryx, Inc., or Horizon Therapeutics plc (including the prospective performance and outlook of Horizon's business, performance and opportunities, any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected as a result of such acquisition, and any projected impacts from the Horizon acquisition on Amgen's acquisition-related expenses going forward), as well as estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems on Amgen's business, outcomes, progress, and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed by Amgen, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen is providing this information as of the date of this news release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those Amgen projects. Discovery or identification of new product candidates or development of new indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a new indication for an existing product will be successful and become a commercial product. Further, preclinical results do not guarantee safe and effective performance of product candidates in humans. The complexity of the human body cannot be perfectly, or sometimes, even adequately modeled by computer or cell culture systems or animal models. The length of time that it takes for Amgen to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for product marketing has in the past varied and Amgen expects similar variability in the future. Even when clinical trials are successful, regulatory authorities may question the sufficiency for approval of the trial endpoints Amgen has selected. Amgen develops product candidates internally and through licensing collaborations, partnerships and joint ventures. Product candidates that are derived from relationships may be subject to disputes between the parties or may prove to be not as effective or as safe as Amgen may have believed at the time of entering into such relationship. Also, Amgen or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products, including its devices, after they are on the market. Amgen's results may be affected by its ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and regulatory developments involving current and future products, sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in manufacturing its products and global economic conditions. In addition, sales of Amgen's products are affected by pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny and reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment. Furthermore, Amgen's research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. Amgen's business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation and product liability claims. In addition, Amgen's business may be impacted by the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities. If Amgen fails to meet the compliance obligations in the corporate integrity agreement between Amgen and the U.S. government, Amgen could become subject to significant sanctions. 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An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as COVID-19, and the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the supply of materials for Amgen's manufacturing activities, the distribution of Amgen's products, the commercialization of Amgen's product candidates, and Amgen's clinical trial operations, and any such events may have a material adverse effect on Amgen's product development, product sales, business and results of operations. Amgen relies on collaborations with third parties for the development of some of its product candidates and for the commercialization and sales of some of its commercial products. In addition, Amgen competes with other companies with respect to many of its marketed products as well as for the discovery and development of new products. Further, some raw materials, medical devices and component parts for Amgen's products are supplied by sole third-party suppliers. Certain of Amgen's distributors, customers and payers have substantial purchasing leverage in their dealings with Amgen. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of Amgen's products that implicate an entire class of products could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected products and on its business and results of operations. Amgen's efforts to collaborate with or acquire other companies, products or technology, and to integrate the operations of companies or to support the products or technology Amgen has acquired, may not be successful. There can be no guarantee that Amgen will be able to realize any of the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities arising from the Horizon acquisition, and such benefits, synergies or opportunities may take longer to realize than expected. Amgen may not be able to successfully integrate Horizon, and such integration may take longer, be more difficult or cost more than expected. A breakdown, cyberattack or information security breach of Amgen's information technology systems could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of Amgen's systems and Amgen's data. Amgen's stock price may be volatile and may be affected by a number of events. Amgen's business and operations may be negatively affected by the failure, or perceived failure, of achieving its environmental, social and governance objectives. The effects of global climate change and related natural disasters could negatively affect Amgen's business and operations. Global economic conditions may magnify certain risks that affect Amgen's business. Amgen's business performance could affect or limit the ability of the Amgen Board of Directors to declare a dividend or its ability to pay a dividend or repurchase its common stock. Amgen may not be able to access the capital and credit markets on terms that are favorable to it, or at all. Any scientific information discussed in this news release relating to new indications for Amgen's products is preliminary and investigative and is not part of the labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the products. The products are not approved for the investigational use(s) discussed in this news release, and no conclusions can or should be drawn regarding the safety or effectiveness of the products for these uses. CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks Elissa Snook , 609-251-1407 (media) Justin Claeys , 805-313-9775 (investors) References View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blincyto-blinatumomab-added-to-chemotherapy-significantly-improves-survival-in-newly-diagnosed-pediatric-patients-with-b-cell-precursor-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-b-all-302325381.html SOURCE Amgen

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S itting in a white armchair on the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, the soft bayou light streaming into her family home, something is bugging Gypsy-Rose Blanchard. “It feels like a circus,” she tells Rolling Stone in her distinctive, high-pitched voice. All around her, there are family photos and reminders of people who love her. There’s a sign across from her that reaffirms this. Family: A little bit of crazy. A little bit of loud. And a whole lot of love. But she keeps no pictures of her mother around. Blanchard, 33, spent more than eight years incarcerated for her involvement in the 2015 murder of Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Since she was released last year, the attention has been constant. “I’m not an animal in a cage,” she says. Blanchard’s private life is better now in the small bayou town where she lives, about an hour outside of New Orleans. She is staying at the home of her father, Rod, and stepmother, Kristy, and is experiencing a lot of new things — grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry. She just returned from Florida, where she spent the holiday with her boyfriend, Ken Urker, and swam in the ocean for the first time. “I got water in my mouth and was like, ‘Oh, it’s salty!’ I didn’t expect that,” she says in an almost childlike tone. The couple, who first met through a pen-pal program in 2017 and reconnected after her release, is expecting their first child — a daughter — in January. Blanchard hopes she can go to cosmetology school later on to become a hairdresser. But her life is anything but normal. In the near-decade since her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, fatally stabbed Dee Dee at her Springfield, Missouri, home, Blanchard’s saga has become fodder for everything from long-form podcasts to prestige documentaries to a scripted Hulu series starring Patricia Arquette and Joey King, which she says she still hasn’t watched. “To be quite honest, I didn’t know how big this story was until I got out of prison,” she admits. Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time While Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Blanchard was given 10 years in prison for second-degree murder, and was released last year after serving about seven. (She spent a year in a half incarcerated waiting for trial.) Since then, she’s been torn between reclaiming her life story and coming to grips with the fact that some of her legions of followers might be paying attention for the wrong reasons. “I don’t want people to follow me because of the crime that I committed,” Blanchard says. “I don’t want to have fans because they feel like what I did was right.” Dressed in a slouchy yellow sweater, she hands me her phone. (The left sleeve is pulled up to reveal a tattoo of a husky on her forearm, with Urker having a matching one.) The screen shows a photo, taken without Blanchard’s consent, of her in the waiting room of her OB-GYN’s office with Urker, which was subsequently posted to a Reddit forum dedicated to dragging her. On Facebook, she shows me, there’s a photo someone snapped of Blanchard talking to a teller at the bank, along with comments trolling her appearance, her relationship and the crime itself. When she was released in December 2023, Blanchard believed that she could — and would — live a normal life. “And then,” she says, “I started to understand that is not reality.” Instead, her reality is much more complicated. It’s why, she says, she felt compelled to tell her story in full. On Dec. 10, Blanchard will release her memoir, My Time to Stand , which details her mother’s suspected case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy — a mental illness in which a caretaker makes up fake symptoms or causes real ones to appear that a healthy child is sick — and the abuse Gypsy suffered as a result. (Her mother, for instance, subjected her to endless medical procedures for diseases she didn’t have.) Related Content Unraveling the 50-Year Mystery of the Body in the Basement Menendez Brothers' Aunts Beg Judge to Let Them Out as Hearing Pushed to Late January L.A. Elected a New District Attorney. What Does This Mean for the Menendez Brothers? A Jury Wouldn't Convict Karen Read. Now She Wants Her Charges Dismissed It also covers the family dysfunction and trauma she experienced as a child, from her grandfather’s sexual abuse of both her and her mother, to the lies her mother told to government agencies and charities to scam benefits, including a house from Habitat for Humanity. She talks about the men, including Godejohn, with whom she began relationships online, and the multiple attempts she made to escape from her mother’s home. All the while, Dee Dee was godlike to her, her sole caretaker who was always hovering. “Gypsy-Rose will never find true love,” Blanchard claims her mother would tell her. “Gypsy-Rose will never find happiness.” The memoir’s release comes at a time of radical change for Blanchard. In the past year, she divorced her ex-husband, whom she married in 2022; became pregnant; and had to learn life skills, like balancing a budget, that she was never taught growing up. While Blanchard’s story has been across numerous platforms, she says the memoir is the first time she has full control of her narrative and the events leading up to and after the murder. After years of trying to move away from the crime, she is returning to the scene in her memory and in her own words. An author’s note in the beginning of the book says that while some of Blanchard’s memories have faded, the memoir is “true to my memory, and these memories have shaped my perceptions, many of which are also shared here.” The book itself outlines the story of a young, poor girl growing up in Louisiana and Missouri, bound to a single mother who made Blanchard think that it was them against the world. To win, Dee Dee had to lie, cheat, and steal, with Blanchard as an accomplice to her mother’s fraud and a victim of her abuse. She worked with two co-writers for it, Melissa Moore and Michele Matrisciani, who began working with her when she was still in prison and uncertain of any early release. “She’s lived a lot of life, a life of ups and downs — but more ups than downs,” says her stepmother, Kristy, who’s been married to her father, Rod, for 25 years. “She’s doing all the things that her mom said she couldn’t do — falling in love, getting married, getting divorced, reuniting with the love of her life, having their child. And even cutting the grass or taking out the garbage, those are the things she couldn’t do.” Since her conviction, she’s appeared on The View , Dr. Phil , and The Kardashians , with both the Cut and Slate dubbing her “America’s sweetheart.” In the process, she’s become a polarizing figure. Her supporters maintain she is a survivor who has done her time and should be able to live a private life. On TikTok and Reddit, her detractors loudly flood the platforms with a mix of legitimate criticism, conspiracy theories, and unflattering memes, calling Blanchard a liar and grifter who is profiting from her crime. The memoir is also getting review-bombed on sites like Goodreads with one-star ratings before anyone has read a page. This reality can be depressing for Blanchard, who is preparing for possible protesters at a book-signing event in New Orleans later this month. She has publicly disavowed what she did to her mother, as well as supporters who feel killing her mom was somehow the cool thing to do. But each time someone secretly takes a photo of her in public or posts a video slamming her, she wonders if there is any path toward a normal life, or if she’s even capable of living such a life by the time she becomes a mother of her own. “When people come up to me and are like, ‘I don’t blame you, I would have done the same thing,’ I’m disgusted,” she says. “It’s not like I look back on my past and am proud of what I did. I’m very ashamed of it, so I honestly get offended whenever someone says things [to me] like that because they are missing the whole point.” DEE DEE’S SCREMS STAY with Blanchard. So does the total silence that followed the murder. “To this day, I have never seen [the] crime-scene pictures,” she tells Rolling Stone . “I heard her scream, but the aftermath of what happened is unknown to me.” When she was recording the audiobook for her memoir, Blanchard broke down recalling her breaking point leading to the death: When Dee Dee lied to doctors and pushed for an exploratory surgery on her larynx, which could have potentially silenced her voice — literally — forever. To Blanchard, it felt like her mother was lying to doctors as her way to cut her daughter’s throat. “I started to think if nothing happens, how old will I be until this stops? Will I be in my forties? Will I be in my fifties? Will I die?” she says. “That was the moment when I was like, ‘OK, something needs to happen right now.’” She then struggled recounting how she lay in a fetal position with her hands pressed over her ears, as Godejohn repeatedly stabbed Dee Dee as she called out for her daughter. In that moment, Gypsy couldn’t think about the years of abuse she suffered; she could only focus on her breathing. For a while, Blanchard had a recurring nightmare that had her reliving her mother’s murder each night, as an observer witnessing the crime. “I didn’t want to make [Dee Dee’s death] the sole point of the book, but I did want readers to understand that there is a level of trauma,” she says. “It’s not something that happens and then you just go back to your daily life and you’re fine. It’s something that doesn’t go away.” In the book, Blanchard examines her mother’s motivations, particularly how Dee Dee was keenly aware that she was creating a world of lies and lore from an early age. “I heard from her brothers, her sisters, that she was kind of the black sheep. She didn’t just quite fit in,” Blanchard says. “There were certain aspects of her personality that were manipulative [and] controlling. But there wasn’t enough awareness at the time [in] the Eighties [and] Nineties about mental health issues. So it just very much went undetected.” I ask Blanchard, who admits in the book that she was taught to live a life of deception, the greatest lie that Dee Dee told her. “This is gonna sound a little harsh,” Blanchard says. “But I think the greatest lie she ever told was that she loved me.” Matrisciani, one of the memoir’s co-writers, understood early on that Blanchard did not want to make the book a justification for murder as a response to lifelong physical, mental, and emotional abuse. “This is a young woman who is really trying to make sense of why things happened the way they did, and how things are not black and white,” Matrisciani tells Rolling Stone . “It’s very hopeful. It’s dark, but it’s hopeful.” Blanchard knows she’s not alone in the morbid club of people who murdered family members who they claim abused them. She hopes the Menendez brothers, who are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murder of their parents, are granted their freedom. (A resentencing hearing for the brothers is scheduled for January .) “I feel like they have paid their dues to society. Thirty years is a long time,” Blanchard says. “I’m one of those people that feels that they did their time for the crime. Let them have their freedom. I am in support of anyone that has been a victim of abuse like that because it’s not something anyone should ever go through.” “When people come up to me and are like, ‘I don’t blame you, I would have done the same thing,’ I’m disgusted.” IT’S A LITTLE AFTER 9 a.m., and for now, the house — which is covered in portraits of the family, including the pregnancy photos of a smiling Blanchard and Urker basking in joy and golden-hour lighting — is relatively quiet. Later, the family will watch the Saints play the Rams, and put up Christmas decorations; white stockings already hang above the fireplace. In the coming days, a TV crew will arrive to shoot the second season of her Lifetime reality show, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up . She’s planning to pre-sign hundreds of books ahead of the event in New Orleans, where online critics who don’t want her to profit off her past say they’re threatening to protest. “Nobody’s ever come up to me with anything negative to say,” Blanchard says. Leaning back in her green recliner, Kristy succinctly guesses why none of the online hate shows itself in-person: “They don’t have the balls.” Blanchard maintains that she doesn’t see herself as famous and never sought out attention. She can talk endlessly about how much the guilt, shame, and responsibility for her mother’s murder weigh on her, but that still doesn’t deter some young people from approaching the person they see as TikTok famous and saying they support her because she helped kill her mom. It leaves her in no-man’s land: appreciative of the support, but decrying the catalyst for why some of her fans are there in the first place. “There’s Gypsy-Rose Blanchard from the media and documentaries, and then there’s the Gypsy that my family knows, that my partner knows, that I know,” she says. “The two are in the same body, but I just kind of feel like nobody really knows the real me.” Blanchard knows that some people will never let her live down her sins or the sins of her mother. She says that she recently tried to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, which built and gifted the home to Dee Dee after the mother and daughter lost their Louisiana home to Hurricane Katrina. But Blanchard says the organization declined her offer, in part because Lifetime wanted to film the experience for the reality show. “I did express that I would like to make amends for what my mom did, and I got rejected,” she tells me. “I’ve found that not everybody forgives.” (A spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity did not respond to a request for comment.) She also understands that there appears to be a disconnect between saying she wants a private and quiet life with her burgeoning career as a social-media influencer and reality-TV star. Blanchard has recently stayed in the headlines on gossip sites thanks to her posting the results of a paternity test to prove that Urker is the father and quell rumors that the child was her ex’s. “It’s how it is right now,” she says. “I don’t think the public will ever let me fade into obscurity altogether. I think there will always be curiosity about what I’m doing in my life. And I have come to accept it.” But after the show is finished filming what she says will be the last season, Blanchard wants to disconnect and plan her exit from the public eye. That off-ramp includes backing away from her public social media accounts, which she says she only uses for promotion these days, as well as raising her daughter, whom she and Urker plan to name Aurora. She eventually wants to get her own place and be closer to Urker, who lives in Dallas. Blanchard is also taking driver’s education, which terrifies her. “I’m very scared to drive because I’m like, what if I hit [someone], and it turns into a whole big thing, and I go back to prison?” she says. “I need to be responsible enough as a mom to do that.” As part of her consideration of motherhood, Blanchard must confront what she plans to tell her daughter about Dee Dee. Whether it’s on TikTok, the book, or her nightmares, her mother’s murder remains. When the time comes to talk to her daughter about who her grandmother was and what happened to her, Blanchard wants there to be no more lies. “I feel like [the book] is a nice segue into when Aurora is older, and a lot of people might give her shit or bully her over it,” she says. “In essence, this [book] is for her. This is so she can have a place of comfort that is safe for her.” Blanchard’s relationship with her mother was based on lies; now the adult, she plans to tell Aurora the truth about how every choice she made in her life, whether it was right or very wrong, has been with the hope of having her own daughter. “’Where do I go from here?’ is constantly what I’m asking myself, because I’m trying not to look back,” she says. “I’m always like, ‘This is what happened. Now, what do I have to live for?’”BLINCYTO® (BLINATUMOMAB) ADDED TO CHEMOTHERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES SURVIVAL IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH B-CELL PRECURSOR ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (B-ALL)

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MAN UTD icon Nani has retired from football at the age of 38. The tricky winger announced his decision in an emotional video he shared on social media. Nani captioned the three-minute clip: "The time has come to say goodbye, I have decided to finish my career as a professional player. "It’s been an amazing ride and I wanted to thank every single person who has helped me and supported me through the highs and lows during a career which lasted over 20 years and gave me so many unforgettable memories. "Time to turn a new leaf and focus on new goals and dreams. See you soon!" The wideman's announcement is seemingly a surprise given he was playing his football in his homeland in the top flight for Estrella Amadora. Although the club are in a relegation battle, Nani had appeared 10 times this season and was considered a first team regular. Part of Nani's decision to retire, he revealed in his post, was down to the recent passing of his father. That has forced him to contemplate his future - vowing to spend more with his family. "I want to make the most of my time with my children, my wife, my mother, my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts. "They also need me, and I need to be with them which is very important." Nani is best remembered on our shores for his time at Man Utd , where he won four Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and the League Cup twice. He also helped his country win the Euros in 2016 alongside fellow United alumni Cristiano Ronaldo . Nani turned out 230 times, scoring 40 goals. In 2015, he returned to Portugal on loan with Sporting Lisbon. Then spells at Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Sporting again, Orlando City, Venezia, Melbourne Victory, Adana Demirspor followed. A hint where his future lies was given in the summer, when Nani bought fourth division side SU Sintrense. Nani said: "I am very happy to be part of this project. I hope to add value to the club. "Sintrense are an opportunity for me to do something interesting. "It is very important for me that they are close to the area where I grew up. I hope it will be a successful project."The launch of the new subway line represents a milestone in Beijing's efforts to build a modern, sustainable, and livable city. By adopting an integrated approach to transportation and urban planning, the city is setting a new standard for urban development that prioritizes efficiency, accessibility, and environmental sustainability.Fans of both Ferencvaros and Keita will be eagerly anticipating the midfielder's debut in the famous green and white stripes. With his explosive style of play and ability to drive the team forward, Keita has the potential to become a fan favorite at the Hungarian club.Title: Mac Mini Expansion and Upgrade Guide: Easily Enhance Your Setup with ORICO Mini Series