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news.Eisai Europe has launched its in-house developed new anticancer agent Lenvima (lenvatinib mesylate) in the UK to treat adults with progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI).
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Following the launch in the UK, the company intends to introduce Lenvima in countries across Europe.
Lenvima is an orally administered molecular targeted agent which inhibits the activities of several different molecules including VEGFR, FGFR, RET, KIT and PDGFR.
It particularly inhibits VEGFR, FGFR and RET, which are especially involved in tumor angiogenesis and proliferation of thyroid cancer.
In a global Phase III study (SELECT) conducted in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, Lenvima showed a statistically significant extension in progression free survival (PFS) and improved response rates compared to placebo.
The most common adverse events observed in this trial related to Lenvima treatment were hypertension, diarrhea, fatigue or asthenia, decreased appetite, weight loss and nausea.
Lenvima, which is discovered at Eisai’s Tsukuba Research Laboratories and developed in-house, was granted an accelerated assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and was approved this May.
Additionally, Lenvima has been confirmed through X-ray co-crystal structural analysis to show a new binding mode (Type V) to VEGFR2, and exhibits rapid binding to the target molecule and potent inhibition of kinase activity, according to kinetic analysis.
The drug was initially launched in the US in February to treat locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer and was introduced in Japan in May for the treatment of unresectable thyroid cancer.
Image: Eisai head office in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: courtesy of Arthena.