Enhanced Survival Rates with Pfizer’s Ibrance in New Indication for Breast Cancer
Recent findings regarding Pfizer’s Ibrance indicate its effectiveness in a newly identified type of breast cancer, which may enlarge the pool of patients who can benefit from this established treatment. This Phase III clinical success arrives at a crucial juncture for Pfizer, especially after Novartis received FDA approval for Kisqali to treat another segment of breast cancer patients.
In the comparative assessment, Ibrance exhibited an increase in median progression-free survival (PFS) by over 50% for individuals grappling with first-line HR+, HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. The combination of Ibrance with anti-HER2 and endocrine treatments proved effective in the Phase III PATINA trial, where median PFS was recorded at 44.3 months for the Ibrance group versus 29.1 months for those receiving the standard maintenance therapy post-chemotherapy.
Pfizer highlighted the study as a landmark moment as it is the first instance where a CDK4/6 inhibitor has manifested positive effects in this specific patient demographic, which constitutes approximately 10% of all breast cancer cases.
Ibrance initially received approval in 2015 for treating postmenopausal women with breast cancer. It has since gained additional FDA endorsements for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer; first-line HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer; and for men facing HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer.
As a forerunner in the CDK4/6 inhibitor category, Pfizer’s Ibrance provided a competitive edge over Novartis, which secured its first approval for Kisqali in 2017 targeting HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Subsequently, in the following year, Kisqali was granted approval for HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer, and just this September, it received an additional approval for HR+/HER2- early breast cancer.
In terms of financial performance, Ibrance generated .75 billion for Pfizer globally in 2023, marking a 7% rise from the previous year. In contrast, Novartis reported net sales of .08 billion for Kisqali, experiencing a remarkable 69% increase during the same period.