*September 2020*
The first targeted therapy for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring MET mutations, capmatinib (Tabrecta), has shown deep and durable responses, conclude investigators of the pivotal trial that led to the drug’s approval. Responses were seen in all patients regardless of how many previous drugs they had been treated with, although responses were particularly pronounced among patients who were treatment naive.
Capmatinib and a companion assay received FDA approval in May 2020 for the treatment of adults with metastatic NSCLC harboring MET exon 14 skipping mutations.
These MET mutations occur in 3% to 4% of NSCLC patients; MET amplifications occur in 1% to 6% of NSCLC patients. They have been associated with poor response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
“Prior to the this approval, there weren’t any approved therapies for this group of patients,” noted Edward Garon, MD, associate professor of hematology and oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the pivotal trial. “There are several drugs that have been used off label for MET exon 14 skipping mutations, but none with an indication for it,” he told Medscape. Read more.
