Rova-T set to revolutionize small cell lung cancer space, says analyst

11 June 2016
2019_biotech_test_vial_discovery_big

Recent data from the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting have shown that rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), AbbVie’s (NYSE: ABBV) antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to treat recurrent/refractory small cell lung cancer (SCLC), represents a promising new approach, as it is the first biomarker-directed therapy for treating the disease, an aggressive form of lung cancer that accounts for around 15% of all lung cancers.

According to Volkan Gunduz, an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData, “By attaching a powerful chemotherapy that is too potent to administer on its own to an antibody that detects delta-like protein 3 (DLL3), Rova-T delivers the payload directly to cancer cells. Importantly, DLL3 is not present in healthy tissue but is expressed in more than 80% of SCLC patient tumors, making it a highly specific biomarker for SCLC.”

The most promising aspect of data from the Phase I/II trial is the discovery of a biomarker that could predict the efficacy of a targeted therapy for treating SCLC. In 74 patients enrolled in this trial, 88% had DLL3 expression on ≥1% of tumor cells, meaning that majority of the patients with SCLC may benefit from this therapy.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free.  A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Login to your account

Become a subscriber

 

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now
  • Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
  • Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
  • Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
  • Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
  • Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK

Company News Directory



Companies featured in this story

More ones to watch >


Today's issue

Company Spotlight





More Features in Biotechnology