RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Patients undergoing treatment for lung cancer will soon have access to a treatment that prevents damage to their bones and immune system from chemotherapy that has won FDA approval for Triangle-based G1 Therapeutics.
The drug called Cosela is injected before a patient receives chemotherapy being used to fight small cell lung cancer.
“It is the first and only therapy designed to help protect bone marrow (myeloprotection) when administered prior to treatment with chemotherapy,” G1 says.
The treatment is expected to be made availabe early next month.
“The approval of trilaciclib (Cosela) is an important advance in the treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy,” said Dr. Jeffrey Crawford, Geller Professor for Research in Cancer in the Department of Medicine and Duke Cancer Institute, in a statement.
“The most serious and life-threatening side effect of chemotherapy is myelosuppression, or damage to the bone marrow, resulting in reduced white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression may lead to increased risks of infection, severe anemia, and/or bleeding. These complications impact patients’ quality of life and may also result in chemotherapy dose reductions and delays. To date, approaches have included the use of growth factor agents to accelerate blood cell recovery after the bone marrow injury has occurred, along with antibiotics and transfusions as needed. By contrast, trilaciclib provides the first proactive approach to myelosuppression through a unique mechanism of action that helps protect the bone marrow from damage by chemotherapy. In clinical trials, the addition of trilaciclib to extensive-stage small cell lung cancer chemotherapy treatment regimens reduced myelosuppression and improved clinical outcomes. The good news is that these benefits of trilaciclib will now be available for our patients in clinical practice.”
“[C]hemotherapy-induced bone marrow damage, known as myelosuppression, can lead to increased risk of infection, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and other complications,” the company notes. “Myeloprotection is a novel approach of protecting HSPCs in the bone marrow from chemotherapy-induced damage. This approach can help reduce some chemotherapy-related toxicity, making chemotherapy safer and more tolerable, while also reducing the need for reactive rescue interventions.”
The treatment is administered intravenously as a 30-minute infusion within four hours prior to the start of chemotherapy and is the first FDA-approved therapy that helps provide proactive, multilineage protection from chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression<” G1 adds.
“Chemotherapy is the most effective and widely used approach to treating people diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer; however, standard of care chemotherapy regimens are highly myelosuppressive and can lead to costly hospitalizations and rescue interventions,” said Jack Bailey, Chief Executive Officer at G1 Therapeutics. “COSELA will help change the chemotherapy experience for people who are battling ES-SCLC. G1 is proud to deliver COSELA to patients and their families as the first and only therapy to help protect against chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression.”
