The FDA has granted full approval for selpercatnib in the treatment of advanced cancer among patients ages 2 and older who carry a rare genetic alteration.
Selpercatinib, also known as Retevmo, targets and “turns off” the RET gene fusion to stop cell growth, according to a July 21 news release from New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Alexander Drilon, MD, chief of the early drug development service at Memorial Sloan Kettering led one of the two clinical trials that contributed to the drug’s full FDA approval.
“The full FDA approval of selpercatinib marks a pivotal moment in precision oncology — not simply because it validates this therapy, but also because it extends hope across a broad landscape of tumor types, from lung and thyroid to pancreatic, ovarian, and even rare pediatric tumors,” Dr. Drilon said in the release.
RET gene fusions are found in about 1% to 2% of lung cancer tumors and in 10% to 20% of papillary thyroid cancer cases, the release said.
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