Lobrena for non-small lung cancer – pro
Lobrena is not supported by the plan for non-small cell lung cancer for first-line therapy. However, in a recent interim analysis of results among patients with previously untreated advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, those who received lorlatinib had significantly longer progression-free survival and a higher frequency of intracranial response than those who received crizotinib. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 adverse events was higher with lorlatinib than with crizotinib because of the frequent occurrence of altered lipid levels. The drug lorlatinib (Lorbrena) is superior to crizotinib (Xalkori) as an initial treatment for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has changes in the ALK gene, according to new results from a global clinical trial.
LORBRENA is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test.
Alice T Shaw et al, First-Line Lorlatinib or Crizotinib in Advanced ALK-Positive Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med 2020;383:2018-2029
Lobrena Prescribing Information 2024
Kumar, A., Kapoor, A., Noronha, V. et al. Lorlatinib in the second line and beyond for ALK positive lung cancer: real-world data from resource-constrained settings. BJC Rep 2, 35 (2024).