The U.S. has recently approved the drug tarlatamab-dlle for the treatment of metastatic small cell lung cancer, priced at $780,000 for one year of treatment.
The decision was made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 16. The drug is marketed under the brand name Imdelltra, and is a targeted immunotherapy that uses specific antibodies to bind to cancer cells and immune cells, thereby guiding the immune system to destroy the cancer. This drug is intended for adults with advanced and hard-to-treat small cell lung cancer.
Clinical trial results for the drug were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showing that tumors reduced by 40% in patients receiving 10 mg of tarlatamab through intravenous infusion every two weeks. Manufacturer Amgen reported that the drug costs $31,500 for the first treatment cycle and $30,000 for subsequent infusions. One year of treatment can amount to $780,000, making it one of the most expensive lung cancer treatments.
Patients participating in the study had an average survival time of 14.3 months, significantly higher than the typical prognosis of about 5 months. Lung cancer is categorized into two types: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Among these, non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type (approximately 85%), while 15% of patients have small cell lung cancer. This is the target group for Imdelltra.
Illustration of lung cancer tumor. (Photo: Unsplash).
Jay Bradner, Chief Scientific Officer at Amgen, noted that approximately 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with this disease each year. This is one of the fastest growing and most aggressive cancer types.
In clinical trials, the most common side effect was cytokine release syndrome, which occurs when the immune system overreacts aggressively to an infection or immunotherapy drug.
Amgen stated that the company needs to conduct additional large and significant trials on patients with late-stage small cell lung cancer to gain full FDA approval. Currently, the drug is only conditionally approved.
The company is also testing tarlatamab for the treatment of early-stage small cell lung cancer patients. If these studies succeed, Wall Street analysts believe the drug could generate over $2 billion in annual revenue for the company.
