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EMA recommends two new treatments for advanced kidney cancer

pharmafile | July 22, 2016 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing EMA, Eisai, renal cell carcinoma 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended two new medicines for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer.

Eisai’s Kisplyx (lenvatinib) and Exelisis’s Cabometyx (cabozantinib) are indicated in adult patients with advanced kidney cancer who have been previously treated with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-inhibitor.

Kisplyx has been recommended in combination with Afinitor (everolimus), while Cabometyx is indicated as a monotherapy.

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Both drugs are tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which block certain enzymes that can be found in some receptors on the surface of cancer cells and help the cells to proliferate and spread.

In Phase II trials, patients receiving Kisplyx plus Afinitor experienced a median progression-free survival of 14.6 months compared to 5.5 months with Afinitor alone. Similarly, in a large Phase III trial, patients receiving Cabometyx experienced higher rates of progression-free survival compared to Afinitor.

Gary Hendler, chief commercial officer of the Oncology business group at Eisai, says: “Lenvatinib in combination with everolimus is the first proven combination treatment to treat patients following prior VEGF-targeted therapy. The very real treatment benefit of the combination provides patients with an additional treatment option proven to have a beneficial impact on progression free survival.”

Sean Murray

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