75% of US oncologists prescribe Pfizer's Xalkori just 10 months after the drug's launch

US oncologists surveyed by advisory firm Decision Resources say they prescribe drugs behemoth Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) Xalkori (crizotinib) for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) just 10 months after the drug’s launch, illustrating the power of a targeted agent with a strongly predictive biomarker to achieve usage, despite a small eligible patient population.

An even higher proportion of surveyed oncologists prescribe Genentech/OSI Pharmaceuticals/Roche/Chugai’s Tarceva (erlotinib), with all surveyed office-based oncologists and 93% of hospital-based oncologists prescribing Tarceva to their NSCLC patients, while 80% of surveyed managed care organization (MCO) pharmacy directors report they reimburse for Tarceva.

The new report also found that GlaxoSmithKline’s Tykerb (lapatinib) has achieved less widespread uptake in breast cancer - compared with the uptake of Xalkori and Tarceva in NSCLC - which is likely a reflection of formidable competition from Roche/Genentech/Chugai’s HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody (MAb), Herceptin (trastuzumab). Surveyed MCOs largely reimburse for Tykerb and Tarceva although some MCOs are not yet covering Xalkori, constraining patient share for this agent.