Efficacy

Alecensa (Alectinib) Efficacy in Lung Cancer

Alecensa (alectinib) is a targeted therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with specific genetic alterations, namely the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive mutations. Clinical trials have demonstrated that alectinib is highly effective in treating ALK-positive NSCLC. The ALEX trial, a pivotal phase III clinical study, compared alectinib to crizotinib, another ALK inhibitor, and found that alectinib significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC. Moreover, alectinib has shown efficacy in controlling central nervous system (CNS) metastases, which is a common complication in ALK-positive NSCLC patients.

Patients treated with Alecensa have shown a reduction in the risk of disease worsening or death compared to those treated with crizotinib. The drug is generally well-tolerated, with a safety profile that is favorable when compared to other ALK inhibitors. As a result, alectinib has become a preferred first-line treatment option for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, offering a significant improvement in disease management and quality of life.

Enhertu (Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan-nxki) Efficacy in Lung Cancer

Enhertu (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate that targets HER2, a protein that can be overexpressed in various cancers, including a subset of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). It has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive NSCLC who have received a prior systemic therapy. The efficacy of Enhertu in lung cancer was demonstrated in a pivotal phase II clinical trial, which showed a significant response rate in patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC.

The DESTINY-Lung01 trial revealed that patients treated with Enhertu experienced a notable tumor response, with a median duration of response that suggests a potential for long-term benefit. The therapy has been hailed as a breakthrough for patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC, who previously had limited treatment options. Enhertu's efficacy in lung cancer underscores the importance of molecular profiling in NSCLC to identify patients who may benefit from targeted therapies such as this antibody-drug conjugate.