Efficacy

Portrazza (necitumumab) Efficacy in Lung Cancer

Portrazza (necitumumab) is a monoclonal antibody designed to target and block the activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein that plays a role in the growth and spread of cancer cells. It is specifically approved for use in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical trials have demonstrated that the addition of necitumumab to chemotherapy can lead to an improvement in overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone. However, the benefit may be modest and must be weighed against the potential for increased side effects.

The pivotal trial that led to the approval of Portrazza was the SQUIRE study, which showed that patients receiving necitumumab in addition to gemcitabine and cisplatin had a median overall survival of 11.5 months compared to 9.9 months for those receiving chemotherapy alone. Progression-free survival was also slightly improved with the addition of necitumumab. Despite these improvements, it is important for healthcare providers to consider individual patient factors when recommending this treatment, as not all patients may respond similarly.

Cyramza (ramucirumab) Efficacy in Lung Cancer

Cyramza (ramucirumab) is another monoclonal antibody that targets the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), which is involved in the formation of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow and spread. Ramucirumab is approved for use in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving ramucirumab.

Key clinical trials, such as the REVEL study, have shown that ramucirumab, when added to docetaxel, significantly improved median overall survival in patients with NSCLC compared to those treated with docetaxel alone. The median overall survival was 10.5 months for the ramucirumab plus docetaxel group versus 9.1 months for the placebo plus docetaxel group. Additionally, ramucirumab showed a modest improvement in progression-free survival. As with necitumumab, the decision to use ramucirumab should be based on a thorough assessment of the potential benefits and risks for the individual patient.