Health

Pfizer's Lorbrena Shows Outstanding Long-Term Efficacy in Rare Lung Cancer

May 31, 2024 1 min read

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Pfizer's drug Lorbrena (lorlatinib) has demonstrated significant long-term benefits in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a specific genetic mutation known as ALK-positive. According to data from the Phase 3 CROWN trial, the drug reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 81% compared to Xalkori (crizotinib), another Pfizer cancer treatment. After five years, 60% of patients treated with Lorbrena were alive without disease progression, a stark contrast to 8% of those treated with Xalkori.

The trial results, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, highlight Lorbrena's potential to become the new standard of care for ALK-positive NSCLC. The drug also significantly reduced the risk of cancer spreading to the brain, a common complication in this patient population. Lorbrena, which is already approved in the U.S. as a first-line treatment for this type of lung cancer, had sales of €164 million in Q1 2024, reflecting a 46% increase from the previous year. Pfizer aims to leverage these findings to expand the drug's market reach, especially in regions like China.

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