At ESMO, more precision medicines show their worth

In the run-up to the annual meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), one of the more eagerly anticipated presentations focused on former Loxo Oncology candidate selpercatinib (LOXO-292), a RET inhibitor.

Detail from the LIBRETTO-001 trial promised to validate Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY)  $8 billion outlay on Loxo earlier in the year - a rare splurge for a firm not normally associated with headline-grabbing M&A moves.

The trial  had already shown a 68% objective response rate (ORR) and median progression-free survival (PFS) of 18.4 months for lung cancer patients, just weeks before.