FDA Approves Entrectinib for NTRK-Fusion Cancers, ROS1-Positive NSCLC
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for adult and adolescent patients whose cancers have an NTRK (neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase) genetic fusion and for whom there are no effective treatments. Entrectinib was also approved today for the treatment of adults with metastatic, ROS1-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“We are in an exciting era of innovation in cancer treatment as we continue to see development in tissue-agnostic therapies, which have the potential to transform cancer treatment. We’re seeing continued advances in the use of biomarkers to guide drug development and the more targeted delivery of medicine,” said FDA Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless, MD.
This is the third time the FDA has approved a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker across different types of tumors rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated. The approval marks a new paradigm in the development of cancer drugs that are “tissue-agnostic.” It follows the policies that the FDA developed in a guidance document released in 2018. The previous tissue-agnostic indications approved by the FDA were pembrolizumab for tumors with microsatellite instability–high or mismatch repair deficient tumors in 2017 and larotrectinib for NTRK gene fusion tumors in 2018.
“Today’s approval includes an indication for pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who have NTRK fusion–positive tumors by relying on efficacy information obtained primarily in adults. The FDA continues to encourage the inclusion of adolescents in clinical trials. Traditionally, clinical development of new cancer drugs in pediatric populations is not started until development is well underway in adults, and often not until after approval of an adult indication,” said Richard Pazdur, MD, Director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and Acting Director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Efficacy in adolescents was derived from adult data and safety was demonstrated in 30 pediatric patients.”
Trial Results
The efficacy of entrectinib was evaluated in four clinical trials studying 54 adults with NTRK fusion–positive tumors. The overall response rate was 57%, with 7.4% of patients having a complete response. Among the 31 responding patients, 61% had response persist for 9 months or longer. The most common cancer locations were the lung, salivary gland, breast, thyroid, and colon/rectum.
Clinical studies also evaluated 51 adults with ROS1-positive lung cancer. The overall response rate was 78%, with 5.9% of patients having complete response. Among the 40 responding patients, 55% had response persist for 12 months or longer.
Entrectinib’s common side effects are fatigue, constipation, dysgeusia, edema, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, dysesthesia, dyspnea, myalgia, cognitive impairment, weight gain, cough, vomiting, fever, arthralgia, and vision disorders. The most serious side effects of entrectinib are congestive heart failure, central nervous system effects, skeletal fractures, hepatotoxicity, hyperuricemia, QT prolongation, and vision disorders.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
