Novartis/Incyte’s Jakavi may help fight pancreatic cancer
pharmafile | August 22, 2013 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Incyte, Jakafi, Novartis, Pancreatic cancer, Xeloda
Results of a mid-stage trial suggest that Novartis and Incyte’s blood cancer drug Jakavi may also be effective against pancreatic cancer.
The trial tested Jakavi (ruxolitinib) in combination with Roche’s chemotherapeutic pill Xeloda (capecitabine) versus Xeloda alone on overall survival rates among patients with refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Among a subgroup of patients considered most likely to benefit from treatment, the six-month survival rate was 42% for those treated with Jakavi and Xeloda, in comparison to 11% for Xeloda treatment on its own.
Marketed as Jakafi in the US by Incyte, the orally-administered Janus kinase (JAK1/JAK2) inhibitor, is already approved for the treatment of myelofibrosis, a form of blood cancer.
Myelofibrosis is a relatively rare disease but pancreatic cancer, on the other hand, is the eighth most deadly type of cancer worldwide. In the US, patients with advanced forms have a five-year survival rate of just 1%, with most dying in the first year, according to Incyte.
The approval of Jakavi for treatment against this much more common disease would represent a significant commercial opportunity Incyte and Novartis, which markets the drug outside the US.
Last year, the drug brought in revenues of $136 million – an analyst quoted by Reuters suggests that US/EU pancreatic cancer-related sales could peak at $514 million in 2023.
Speaking about the commencement of Phase III trials, Incyte executive VP Richard Levy said that the company was working with the FDA to define core components ‘as rapidly as possible’.
The positive Phase II data is also likely to prompt further investigation of the drug’s efficacy against other types of tumour.
Incyte chief executive Paul Friedman, said: “These results solidify our belief in the therapeutic opportunity that exists for Jakafi, and provide us with an acceleration strategy to advance our JAK1 inhibitor portfolio into additional areas of unmet medical need.”
In June, UK medical guideline authority, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) declined to recommend Jakavi. The decision was based on the treatment’s £3,600-per-month price tag, rather than its efficacy.
Hugh McCafferty
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