NICE recommends Merck's Tepmetko as first oral MET inhibitor for advanced NSCLC patients

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended approval of Tepmetko (tepotinib), from Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE), for National Health Service (NHS) use.

It says that Tepmetko should approved for the treatment of adult patients in Great Britain with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor gene (MET) exon 14 (METex14) skipping alterations.

Dr Shobhit Baijal, consultant medical oncologist at the University Hospital NHS Trust, explains: "Existing treatment options for patients with METex14 skipping mutations have generally shown limited progression-free survival and overall survival benefits. Tepotinib is a new targeted therapy and the first MET inhibitor to be made available for eligible patients. It is a significant step forward in the treatment of adult advanced NSCLC patients with METex14 skipping alterations and has demonstrated its clinical benefits for this aggressive type of lung cancer. Treatment involves identifying a genomic biomarker to be able to provide this new potential treatment option.”