Eli Lilly Non-Small Lung Cancer Drug Extends Life Expectancy
Researchers at Eli Lilly have announced that the company’s new non-small lung cancer drug, ramucirumab, has helped patients to live about six weeks longer—a significant amount of time considering the high rate of death among those with lung cancer. Researchers believe that ramucirumab, also known as Cyramza, can offer an improvement in life expectancy that scientists can build upon.
Eli Lilly ran a study that enrolled 1,253 patients with lung cancer. The drug is intended for those with late-stage lung cancer who have had a relapse after their first treatment. The study found that those who were prescribed ramucirumab lived for 10.5 months, while those who were not prescribed the treatment lived for only 9.1 months.
Dr. Maurice Perol, the top investigator and chief of thoracic oncology at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon in France, called the study the “first treatment in approximately a decade to improve the outcome of patients.”
Oncology researchers have been looking into the potential for new lung cancer drugs, because relapse after first treatment is currently at nearly 100 percent. Just this year, the American Cancer Society has projected that 224,000 patients will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 159,200 of those patients will die.
Ramucirumab was granted regulatory approval from the FDA earlier this year for advanced gastric cancer, but it has also been undergoing concurrent testing on patients with lung cancer. The drug works by blocking the growth of blood vessels that feed nutrients to cancer tumors. Gregory Masters, MD at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and lung cancer expert, commented on ramucirumab. “It's exciting to see progress in this disease, where the steps are small but cumulative,” he said. “We're excited to have another agent that shows activity, especially in this very difficult-to-treat population.”
Industry analysts believe that the drug will be a financial success for Eli Lilly, with sales potentially hitting $1.2 billion in 6 years.