Pivotal drivers for prescribing metastatic pancreatic cancer drugs: report

The effect on key efficacy endpoints, primarily the effect of an emerging therapy on overall survival, has the greatest influence on surveyed US and European oncologists' prescribing decisions for metastatic pancreatic cancer in the first-line treatment setting, says a new report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources.

Two novel therapies, nanoparticle paclitaxel (Celgene [Nasdaq: CELG]/Taiho Pharmaceutical's Abraxane) and rigosertib (Onconova Therapeutics/Baxter International/SymBio Pharmaceuticals' Estybon), both in combination with gemcitabine (Eli Lilly's [NYSE: LLY] Gemzar, generics), are set to offer significant efficacy advantages over the current standard of care, gemcitabine monotherapy. Additionally, nanoparticle paclitaxel and rigosertib offer advantages in safety and tolerability over FOLFIRINOX*, which along with the poor performance status of many pancreatic cancer patients, is the major limitation to FOLFIRINOX's uptake.

The Decision Base 2013 report, titled Pancreatic Cancer (First-Line, Metastatic): What Level of Improvement Will Emerging Therapies Need to Show to Significantly Impact the Market? finds that surveyed US oncologists would prescribe nanoparticle paclitaxel/gemcitabine and rigosertib/gemcitabine to a median 35% and 20% of their first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients, respectively.