United States – Pfizer (PFE. N) is attempting to raise doctors’ awareness of, and requests for, a hard-to-detect lung cancer gene so as to fuel demand for its Braftovi, which the drugmaker believes may evolve into the first line of treatment.
Positive 3-Year Study Results Shared at Medical Conference
On Saturday, the company shared 3-year follow-up results from the Phase-Two study of patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic non-small cell lung cancer on patients who initially were treated with Braftovi and another of Pfizer’s drug Mektovi. According to the study, they estimated more than two and a half years of progression-free survival, which measures how long the patients lived after the treatment before their cancer worsened, as reported by Reuters.
Chris Boshoff, Pfizer’s Chief Oncology Officer, said it was evidence-based to use the drug to treat that group and said it aims to get a market share of 60% for lung cancer patients with the mutation.
A Targeted Therapy Opportunity
He stated that the rate of such mutation is low and only ranges from about 2% to 3% of lung cancer.
The standard of care for such patients is, therefore, immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, as enunciated by Boshoff. Mektovi, in combination with Braftovi, has been authorized for patients suffering from Non-small cell lung cancer with the aforementioned mutation since last year.
“All patients with lung cancer should be tested for BRAF mutations, and that could be done with a simple blood test,” he said. “It’s a relatively easy test to identify these patients who clearly would benefit significantly from having a targeted therapy.”
He stated that about 50% of lung cancer patients in the U. S. are tested for the mutation at the moment. The global figure is lower still, according to the indications of the organization.
Educational Efforts and Global Expansion
“This is a space where Pfizer is particularly well equipped, not just in the US, but globally, to encourage testing and to help educate physicians, pathologists, patients, and patient advocate groups,” Boshoff said. He said the test is covered by insurance in the U.S.
It actually moved close to $400m in Braftovi and Mektovi last year, nevertheless, there is no great growth anticipated for those drugs based on the forecasts from the analysts, as per LSEG data.
Future Prospects in Colorectal Cancer
Another area that Boshoff said Braftovi could tap into is colorectal cancer, of which only 10 %