NEW YORK, NY, USA I March 01, 2019 I Pfizer today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion for LORVIQUA® (lorlatinib, approved in the U.S., Canada, and Japan under the brand name LORBRENA®), an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). The CHMP has adopted a positive opinion recommending conditional marketing authorization for LORVIQUA as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed after alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK TKI therapy, or crizotinib and at least one other ALK TKI. Conversion to normal approval will be contingent on provisions of comprehensive data confirming that the benefit-risk balance is positive. The CHMP’s opinion will now be reviewed by the European Commission (EC), with a decision expected in the coming months.

“Addressing drug resistance and relapse remains a challenge in the treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer,” said Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Development Officer, Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development. “This CHMP opinion represents a step forward in bringing LORVIQUA to patients in Europe living with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer who have limited treatment options.”

The Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for LORVIQUA was based on results from a non-randomized, dose-ranging and activity-estimating, multi-cohort, multi-center Phase 1/2 study, B7461001, evaluating LORVIQUA for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC, who were previously treated with one or more ALK TKIs. A total of 229 patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC were enrolled across various subgroups based on prior treatment.

About LORVIQUA® (lorlatinib)

LORVIQUA is a TKI that has been shown to be highly active in preclinical lung cancer models harboring chromosomal rearrangements of ALK. LORVIQUA was specifically developed to inhibit tumor mutations that drive resistance to other ALK inhibitors and to penetrate the blood brain barrier.

LORVIQUA is approved in the U.S. under the brand name LORBRENA® for the treatment of patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed on crizotinib and at least one other ALK inhibitor for metastatic disease, or whose disease has progressed on alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK inhibitor therapy for metastatic disease. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. It is also approved in Japan and Canada.

About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with more than two million new cases diagnosed globally in 2018.1 About 85 percent of all lung cancers are identified as non-small cell, and approximately 75 percent of these are metastatic, or advanced, at diagnosis.2

ALK gene rearrangement is a genetic alteration that drives the development of lung cancer in some patients.3,4 Epidemiology studies suggest that approximately three to five percent of NSCLC tumors are ALK-positive.5

About Pfizer in Lung Cancer

Pfizer Oncology is committed to addressing the unmet needs of patients with lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and a particularly difficult-to-treat disease. Pfizer strives to address the diverse and evolving needs of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by developing efficacious and tolerable therapies, including biomarker-driven therapies and immuno-oncology (IO) agents and combinations. By combining leading scientific insights with a patient-centric approach, Pfizer is continually advancing its work to match the right patient with the right medicine at the right time. Through our growing research pipeline and collaboration efforts, we are committed to delivering renewed hope to patients living with NSCLC.

About Pfizer Oncology

At Pfizer Oncology, we are committed to advancing medicines wherever we believe we can make a meaningful difference on the lives of patients. Today, Pfizer Oncology has an industry-leading portfolio of 18 approved innovative cancer medicines and biosimilars across more than 20 indications, including breast, prostate, kidney, lung and hematology. Pfizer Oncology is striving to change the trajectory of cancer.

Pfizer Inc: Working together for a healthier world®

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world’s best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_NewsLinkedIn, YouTube, and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

1 World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. GLOBOCAN 2018: Lung fact sheet. http://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed September 2018.
2 Reade CA, Ganti AK. EGFR targeted therapy in non-small cell lung cancer: potential role of cetuximab. Biologics. 2009;3:215–224.
3 Chiarle R, Voena C, Ambrogio C, et al. The anaplastic lymphoma kinase in the pathogenesis of cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2008;8(1):11-23.
4 Guérin A, Sasane M, Zhang J, et al. ALK rearrangement testing and treatment patterns for patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39(3):307-12.
5 Garber K. ALK, lung cancer, and personalized therapy: portent of the future? J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010;102:672-675.

SOURCE: Pfizer