Takeda's Alunbrig continues to show superiority over Xalkori in ALK+NSCLC

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) presented updated data from the Phase III ALTA-1L trial, which evaluated Alunbrig (brigatinib) versus crizotinib  (Pfizer’s [NYSE: PFE] Xalkori) in adults with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had not received a prior ALK inhibitor, at the 2019 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia Congress on Saturday, November 23, in Singapore.

Results show after more than two years of follow-up, Alunbrig reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 76% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.12–0.45) as assessed by investigators in newly-diagnosed patients whose disease had spread to the brain at time of enrollment. Alunbrig also demonstrated a 57% (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31–0.61) reduction in risk of disease progression or death in all patients.

Takeda hopes to get US regulatory approval for Alunbrig as a frontline drug for lung cancer in the fiscal year ending March 2020. If finally approved, Alunbrig compete with Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Zykadia (ceritinib) and Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Alecensa (alectinib).