FDA granted full approval for Vitrakvi (larotrectinib), a first-in-class TRK inhibitor for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and have no satisfactory alternative treatments or that have progressed following treatment.
FDA approved Biocon Biologics Ltd’s Jobevne (bevacizumab-nwgd), a biosimilar bevacizumab for intravenous use. Jobevne, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody used to treat several different types of cancer, is a biosimilar to the reference product Avastin (bevacizumab).
FDA approved AstraZeneca’s durvalumab (Imfinzi) with gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by single agent durvalumab as adjuvant treatment following radical cystectomy, for adults with muscle invasive bladder cancer.
AstraZeneca’s Calquence (acalabrutinib) in combination with bendamustine and rituximab has been recommended for approval in the EU for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma who are not eligible for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
BeiGene Ltd. announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency issued a positive opinion recommending approval of Tevimbra (tislelizumab), in combination with etoposide and platinum chemotherapy, as a first-line treatment for adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
Exact Sciences Corp. announced the launch of Cologuard Plus, the most accurate noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test reported in studies to date. FDA-approved for average-risk patients 45+ and covered by Medicare, the Cologuard Plus test detects 95% of colorectal cancers at 94% specificity in the U.S. screening population.
FDA approved cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and well-differentiated extra-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
FDA approved Gozellix (TLX007-CDx, kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide injection), a next-generation PSMA-PET imaging agent for prostate cancer.
FDA granted traditional approval to Merck’s pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma whose tumors express PD-L1 (CPS ≥1).
The European Commission has granted approval to Breyanzi, a CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
