Alunbrig proves the effectiveness of epilepsy patients

Dr. Ross Camidge, Next Generation ALK Formulation Opinion Suitable for Primary Treatment

Alunbrig, preferable for convenience and tolerability with similar effects

Alunbrig will be chosen if it is in Korea

Competition is fierce for the first standard treatment as the second and third generation drugs, which are next-generation drugs, appear one after another in the ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer treatment market.

 

Target anticancer drugs targeting ALK mutations include the first generation Xalkori (Crizotinib), the second generation Zykadia (Ceritinib), "Alecensa (Alectinib HCl), and the third generation Lorviqua (Lorlatinib).

 

A generational shift is taking place in Xalkori, which has long been the first standard treatment.

 

Except for Lorviqua, which still has only secondary treatment indications, Roche's Alecensa and Takeda's Alunbrig are the most fiercely competitive drugs in Korea.

 

Both are second-generation drugs and are similar, showing excellent effects on patients with brain metastasis.

 

Alunbrig, which was released relatively late, has different convenience and tolerability from Alecensa.

 

Dr.

 

Ross Camidge ( University of Colorado Cancer Center), who participated in the Alunbrig online media session held by Takeda Pharmaceutical Korea on the 3rd, showed similar results that he was superior to Xalkori through phase 3 clinical trials of Alunbrig and Alecensa.

 

This is also the case in patients with epilepsy, he said.

 

The secondary factors Dr.

 

Ross Camidge refers to convenience, safety, tolerability, and cost.

 

In this respect, he said Alunbrig is a good drug to choose from as the primary treatment.

 

Looking at the convenience, Alcensa needs to be taken 8 capsules a day and Alunbrig needs to be taken only once a day (two tablets a day in some countries).

 

In terms of quality of life, Alunbrig maintains a high quality of life for a long time.

 

Dr.

 

Ross Camidge explained, "In Alunbrig clinical trials, the time point at which the Crizotinib group recorded a lower quality of life than Alunbrig was faster than expected." Early-Onset Pulmonary Events (EOPE) were also concluded to improve when the drug was stopped for a while and then taken again.

 

Referring to this, Dr.

 

Ross Camidge added, "If you are worried about lung abnormalities, you will not take 90mg for seven days from the beginning, but 30, 60, and 90mg for three days each, and the method of slowly increasing will be effective." Lorviqua, a third-generation drug, was diagnosed with great side effects.

 

He said, "The PFS risk ratio of Lorviqua's phase 3 CROWN study shows the best number among existing treatments," but added, "However, there are significant side effects, with about 80% of patients taking additional drugs with cholesterol levels, and half suffer from central nervous system functional problems.

 

Even when looking at the quality of life data, the quality of life deterioration patterns of Lorlatinib and the control group (Crizotinib) overlap considerably, he said.

 

For this reason, controversy still persists over whether Lorviqua should be viewed as a primary treatment option.

 

Dr.

 

Ross Camidge said, "Personally, Lorviqua is better to be used in secondary or higher treatment situations," adding, "In particular, ALK-positive lung cancer means that there is no need to use highly toxic drugs from the beginning of treatment." He said, "If we have to use Lorlatinib as a secondary drug like Korea, we will choose Alunbrig, which has better convenience and resistance, rather than Alecensa, as the primary treatment."