RET-targeted anticancer drugs are being released in Korea

Retevmo is scheduled to be released in Korea on the 14th.

Gavreto is expected to be released within September

By disease in patients, is a small but some hospitals were already prescribing patients ahead of the clinical site in anticipation that there is high.

 

But now excluded from prescription for pay from entering that the burden of costs and likely to be consideration of the prescription side effects.

 

According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 16th, RET (REarranged drug transmission) target treatments currently approved in Korea are Lilly's Retevmo and Roche's Gavreto.

 

Retevmo is applied to adult patients with metastatic RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer, adults with progressive or metastatic RET-mutant thyroid cancer and children over 12 years of age who are not compliant with radiation Iodine, have previous treatment experience with Sorafenib and/or Lenvatinib, and others requiring systemic therapy.

 

Gavreto has been approved in Korea as a treatment for adult patients with RET fusion positive local progressive or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and adult patients with RET mutation local progressive or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer that requires a strategy.

 

However, since it is licensed around the same time as Retevmo, it is predicted that the release date will not show much difference.

 

Currently, the indication that the two treatments are expected to be prescribed the most is non-small cell lung cancer.

 

It is expected that only 1-2% of all patients have RET mutations, but compared to the thyroid gland, there will be more patients.

 

However, it remains to be seen which of the two drugs will have the upper hand.

 

This is because at the time of approval of the RET gene mutation target anticancer drug, experts also showed that there was no difference enough to choose.

 

Experts say that the emergence of the two treatments is positive, given that chemotherapy is the only treatment option for patients with RET mutations so far.

 

This is because at the time of approval of the RET gene mutation target anticancer drug, experts also showed that there was no difference enough to choose.

 

As a result, experts predict that if the number of prescription options increases to two soon, side effects issues will play a greater role than effects.

 

Hong Min-hee, a professor of oncology at Yonsei Cancer Hospital, said, "There is little difference in efficacy in choosing the two drugs and there is a difference in terms of adverse reactions." Professor Hong explained, "Retevmo seems to have more side effects of gastrointestinal relationships and Gavreto has more side effects of bone marrow suppression, so I think I will choose the patient group accordingly." In addition, Yoon Sung-hoon, a professor of respiratory medicine at Pusan National University in Yangsan, said, "Personally, only Retevmo has prescription experience in that Gavreto is not being used sympathetically due to drug supply and demand." Considering this, there is a possibility that experienced treatments that first appear in the market and enjoy the effect of preoccupying the market due to the characteristics of RET gene mutation target anticancer drugs with small patient groups.

 

Since Gavreto is administered once a day, there is a view that it will be a little more advantageous for the younger patients who are relatively active in society.

 

Retevmo and Gavreto are still not able to enter the benefit range, so cost issues are also expected to be hurdles for prescriptions.

 

Retevmo failed to pass the cancer disease review committee, the first gateway to the standard review in May.

 

Currently, Retevmo is known to cost about 7 million won a month.

 

Professor A of oncology at advanced general hospital in Seoul said, "There are patients waiting for the use of RET gene mutation target anticancer drugs, but cost problems and periods vary from patient to patient." He went on to say, "I don't know if the patient group will be able to submit data necessary for the benefit standard, but I don't think it will be possible to enter the benefit when looking at NTRK mutant treatment." He added, "It may not be possible to enter the benefit right now, but we look forward to positive news in the future."