Pfizer Inc.’s newly approved lung cancer treatment Xalkori could bring in as much as $1 billion in sales by 2015, but its acceptance depends heavily on a new Abbott Laboratories gene test, The Associated Press reports, citing a Citi analyst. Pfizer conducts drug research in Groton.
Analyst John T. Boris said in a research note that Food and Drug Administration approval of the treatment came earlier than expected. He added that the drug is priced at a premium of about $115,000 a year, and predicts sales could reach $700 million to $1 billion in four years.
Xalkori, a twice-a-day pill, is approved to treat a small subset of non-small cell lung cancer patients who have an abnormal gene that stimulates cancer cells and causes tumor growth. The pill works by blocking proteins produced by the gene. It’s part of a new wave of personalized medications that fight disease by targeting specific genes found in certain patients.
Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, released follow-up data in June that showed 88 percent of patients in one study saw their tumors shrink at least somewhat after one year on Xalkori. In a second study, 83 percent had tumors shrink somewhat. Most patients had only mild side effects, but two of the nine patient deaths during that study were considered treatment-related.
The FDA said last week it also approved a genetic test made by Abbott Laboratories to screen for the mutation. Boris expects “rapid adoption” of the test as a standard for diagnosing the patients with the abnormal gene.
