Brigatinib for ALK-positive, locally advanced or metastatic, non-small cell lung cancer previously treated with alectinib or ceritinib

Brigatinib is a medicinal product that is being developed for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease have progressed following treatment with alectinib or ceritinib. NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer although a small proportion of NSCLC patients have a rearrangement in the ALK gene. Locally advanced or metastatic cancer means cancer has spread outside the lungs where it started, to other parts of the body and cannot be cured. Current treatment with drugs such as alectinib or ceritinib are effective in slowing the disease and helping patients to live longer, although some patients eventually develop treatment resistance and will require other therapies.
Brigatinib acts by blocking specific pathways in the activity of the ALK gene that leads to inhibition of cancer cell growth. Early studies have shown that brigatinib may be effective against cancer cells that have developed resistance to other treatments. Brigatinib is taken orally once daily as a tablet and is currently licensed in the EU/UK as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC previously treated with crizotinib. If licensed, brigatinib will offer a treatment option for patients with locally advanced or metastatic ALK-positive NSCLC, whose disease has progressed on therapy with alectinib or ceritinib.