FDA Approves First and Only Cancer Immunotherapy for Initial Treatment of Difficult-to-Treat Type of Lung Cancer
March 18th, 2019
On March 18, 2019, the FDA approved Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide), for the initial treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). This marks the first new initial treatment option for this type of lung cancer in more than 20 years.
News in brief
- Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy is the first and only cancer immunotherapy approved for the initial treatment of ES-SCLC, a difficult-to-treat form of the disease.
- The approval is based on results from the Phase III IMpower133 study, which showed that Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy helped people live significantly longer compared to chemotherapy alone.
- SCLC accounts for approximately 13 percent of all lung cancers. The majority (approximately 70 percent) of people with the disease are diagnosed with ES-SCLC.
Supporting Information
"Tecentriq is the first cancer immunotherapy approved for the initial treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, which is especially difficult to treat. Until now, there have been limited treatment advances for this disease, and we are excited to bring a potential new standard of care to patients that has been shown to improve survival compared to chemotherapy.”