Alecensa (alectinib) is used to treat anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive non-small cell lung cancer (ALK-positive NSCLC) that has spread to other parts of the body.
The updated results from the ALEX clinical trial (NCT02075840) shows that alectinib (Alecensa) is very effective at treating ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (ALK-positive NSLC cancer), as it significantly prolonged the median progression-free survival to 34.8 months compared to 10.9 months for crizotinib.
For patients with ALK-positive NSLC cancer that has spread to the central nervous system (CNS), alectinib was effective in increasing progression-free survival to 25.4 months compared to 7.4 months for crizotinib .
The recent updated results from the ALEX clinical trial showed a higher 5-year overall survival rate for alectinib of 62.5% compared to 45.5% with crizotinib.
Bottom line:
- Alectinib is an effective medicine used to treat metastasized anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive non-small cell lung cancer.
- Alectinib has been shown to increase the median progression-free survival to 34.8 months (compared to 10.9 for crizotinib)
- Alectinib has an increase in the 5-year overall survival rate to 62.5% compared to 45.5% to crizotinib.