New cancer drug

Exciting news! There have been several recent developments in the field of cancer research, leading to the approval of new cancer drugs. Here are a few examples:

  1. Brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus): In May 2020, the FDA approved Tecartus, a CAR-T cell therapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Tecartus is the second CAR-T cell therapy approved by the FDA, following Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) in 2017.
  2. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda): In April 2020, the FDA approved Keytruda, a PD-1 inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that has progressed after at least one prior systemic therapy. Keytruda is already approved for several other types of cancer, including melanoma, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer.
  3. Atezolizumab (Tecentriq): In March 2020, the FDA approved Tecentriq, a PD-L1 inhibitor, in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1. Tecentriq is already approved for several other types of cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer and urothelial carcinoma.
  4. Larotrectinib (Vitrakvi): In November 2019, the FDA approved Vitrakvi, a TRK inhibitor, for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor type 1 (NTRK) gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation. Vitrakvi is the first FDA-approved drug that targets a specific genetic mutation, rather than a specific type of cancer.
  5. Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa): In October 2019, the FDA approved Brukinsa, a BTK inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy. Brukinsa is the first FDA-approved BTK inhibitor for MCL.

These are just a few examples of the many new cancer drugs that have been approved in recent years. The development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies has revolutionized the treatment of cancer, offering new hope for patients with a wide range of cancer types.