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Eisai partners with Novartis in renal cell carcinoma collaboration

pharmafile | June 3, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing Afinitor, Eisai, Lenvima, Novartis, US, everolimus, lenvatinib mesylate 

Eisai (TYO: 4523) has announced that it has entered into a partnership with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to collaborate on commercial and medical affairs activities on a combination treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Eisai’s Levinima (lenvatinib mesylate) was approved in combination with Novartis’s Afinitor (everolimus) for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma in May. This collaboration agreement has set the terms whereby sales teams from both pharmaceutical companies will promote the availability of this combination regimen to health service providers in the US.

According to the Japanese pharma company, it is the only combination regimen approved in the US to significantly prolong progression-free survival when compared with a standard of care in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma following prior anti-angiogenic therapy.

Renal cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of all malignant cancers of the kidney. For advanced forms of the disease, the long term survival rate is poor. More than 58,000 patients are diagnosed with some form of kidney cancer in the US each year.

Ivan Cheung, chairman and CEO at Eisai, says: “We are excited to collaborate with Novartis, a company with a rich history and focus in oncology, on selling the first-and-only approved tyrosine kinase-mTOR inhibitor combination regimen for patients with advanced RCC. This is a clear win-win for all parties involved, especially patients, as this collaboration will broaden awareness of this breakthrough combination therapy that has the potential to provide substantial benefit to patients in need.”  

Eisai is awaiting the results of a marketing authorisation approval for Lenvima for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma in Europe, while it plans to submit an application for a similar indication to authorities in Japan.

Afinitor, meanwhile, has been approved in numerous indications, most recently securing EU approval in certain types of advanced gastrointestinal and lung neuroendocrine tumours.

Sean Murray

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