GSK’s two new cancer drugs look promising

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) appear to be making some positive progress in their oncology department, with drugs for both myelofibrosis and endometrial cancer both looking promising.

Momelotinib, GSK’s new myelofibrosis drug, has just received marketing approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as having had an application submitted to the FDA in August. If it is approved by the relevant regulatory committees, momelotinib will become the first drug in Europe to treat myelofibrosis, a rare type of bone marrow cancer.

Also, its immune-oncology drug Jemperli, used to treat endometrial cancers, has shown “statistically significant and clinically meaningful” results in its late-stage trials. The drug also has potential to treat rectal and lung cancers.

These positive outcomes follow GSK’s blenrep being pulled from the US market due to some safety concerns, posing some risk to GSK’s valuable reputation. It is also “likely” that the EMA will begin reviewing blenrep “sooner rather than later – unless GSK withdraw the drug from the European market beforehand,” says Dana Gheorghe, director of oncology at Citeline, a pharmaceutical intelligence company.

Commenting on the withdrawal of blenrep, Sabine Luik, GSK’s chief medical officer, said, “We respect the Agency’s approach to the accelerated approval regulations and associated process. Multiple myeloma is a challenging disease, with poor outcomes for patients whose disease has become resistant to standard-of-care treatments. We will continue the DREAMM clinical trial programme and work with the US FDA on a path forward for this important treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma.”

Betsy Goodfellow