FDA fast-track approval of two new cancer treatments
January 10, 2019
Two new cancer drugs, Vitrakvi and Xospata were approved this week following fast-tracked reviews. Vitrakvi was approved this past Monday for adult as well as pediatric cancer patients who have a unique genetic component (biomarker).
These types of genes are usually rare, however they occur in a wide range of cancers according to the FDA. This is the second drug which has been approved by the FDA which is based on a common biomarker between different forms of tumors rather than the traditional approach of targeting a location within the body. This approach indicates a new paradigm shift in the development of cancer drugs to more “tissue agnostic” techniques.