Pfizer nabs two FDA Breakthrough Therapy designations

May 29, 2018

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET exon 14 alterations with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. The FDA also granted it the same designation for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that is anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive.

“Biomarker-driven therapies have changed the way we treat cancer, helping to ensure that patients receive the right medicine for their disease,” said Mace Rothenberg, chief development officer, Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development. “These Breakthrough Therapy designations for Xalkori exemplify our commitment to precision medicine development and delivering medicines that have the potential to transform the lives of patients whose cancers carry these genomic alterations.”

Xalkori is currently approved in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors are ALK-positive or ROS1-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test.

The Breakthrough Therapy designation for patients with metastatic NSCLC with MET exon 14 alterations was supported by results from an expansion cohort of the Phase 1 PROFILE 1001 study, in which Xalkori showed antitumor activity.

The designation for patients with relapsed or refractory systemic ALCL that is ALK-positive was supported by the results from Study ADVL0912 (NCT00939770) and Study A8081013 (NCT01121588).

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