The effort to develop medications that can prevent cancer from coming back, and even offer the potential for cure, is, of course, one of the most important endeavors for both researchers and the industry that invests and bets on the development of these drugs.
In the market for treating women with what’s called HR+, HER2- breast cancer, Eli Lilly is one of the big players. Lilly has developed one of three competing drugs in a class called CDK4/6 inhibitors. Lilly’s version is Verzenio, which has the molecular name abemaciclib.
Read MoreCDK4/6 Inhibitors
CDK4/6 inhibitors are indicated for women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer. They are targeted therapies that attack proteins known as cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/CDK6).These proteins control how quickly cells divide and multiply, and for women with breast cancer, these proteins can cause cancer cells to grow uncontrollably. That's where CDK4/CDK6 inhibitors come in they slow down or stop the proteins from multiplying.
Van Naarden explained that Eli Lilly has widely studied the use of Verzenio in women who are positive for the estrogen hormone receptor, as well as in patients with metastatic (stage 4) disease. And more recently, they’ve been able to broaden its impact for earlier-stage patients as well.
When given in the adjuvant setting, or given as treatment after the primary treatment to reduce the risk of the cancer returning, Van Naarden says Eli Lilly has seen incredible results.
“We – and I say we on behalf of the physician community that treats patients – have the ability to really have curative intent, which is unusual in cancer care more broadly,” he said.
Making Sure Everyone Who Can Benefit, Does
Verzenio is currently approved for HR+, HER2- breast cancer that is advanced or metastatic, or that is early stage and is node-positive with a high risk of recurrence.
However, it’s not being widely used in all early-stage patients yet, and Eli Lilly is working to educate doctors and patients about this drug, so more women can take advantage of its incredible benefits.
“One of the things that we have been working very hard to do and continue is to make sure that patients are their own advocate,” he said.
“Make sure that they’re aware of this treatment option. Make sure that all of the breast cancer physicians and general treating oncologists know about what this medicine can do for patients who are diagnosed with high-risk early-stage breast cancer.”
The Next Steps for Eli Lilly
What’s next for Eli Lilly in the world of CDK4/6 inhibitors? Van Naarden says is studying how they can best be utilized in a longer-term setting to prolong lives even further.
“We’ve actually invested in a program to actually understand whether or not you can either maintain the same CDK4/6 inhibitor that you were previously taking or switch to a different one of the medicines in this class in order to prolong both overall survival and progression-free survival in that next line of therapy,” he explained.
“That’s a study that … I think could really change the landscape and give patients another important option in a setting where today, unfortunately, there are options, but I think many physicians and patients are a little bit confused about what to use and the benefit that we’ve seen from those other medicines is not pronounced. So we’re hoping to deliver more and look forward to bringing that to patients.”
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