Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pricey 'Precision Medicine' Drug Gets Green Light From FDA, But Now Company Has To Find Patients Who Could Use It
The Washington Post: FDA Approves ‘Precision Medicine’ Drug For Different Cancers With Same Mutation
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a drug for a wide range of cancers based on a shared mutation, rather than the tumors' locations — an advance for the sometimes controversial field of “precision medicine.” The medication, called Vitrakvi, is the second treatment to receive FDA clearance based on a common biomarker found in an array of cancers. The drug, also called larotrectinib, was approved simultaneously for adults and children. Typically, oncology drugs are considered much later for children. (McGinley, 11/26)
Stat: Loxo Oncology's Cancer Drug Wins A Pioneering FDA Approval
The drug, larotrectinib, is designed to kill off tumors by attacking a protein called TRK, which becomes hyperactive in people with certain genetic mutations. Whereas nearly all cancer drugs are approved to fight malignancies in the lung, breast, or pancreas, Loxo’s therapy is cleared for any advanced cancer that expresses TRK, making it the first drug developed as a tumor-agnostic treatment, according to the FDA. (Garde, 11/26)
In other pharmaceutical news —
WBUR: 'The Beautiful Cure' Reveals The 'Profound' Power Of The Immune System
Immunologist Daniel Davis says scientists are harnessing the power of the immune system to create new medications to fight cancer, auto-immune conditions and other diseases. (Gross, 11/26)
