New FDA Approval for Zykadia (ceritinib) for ALK-Positive NSCLC: Why I Think It's a Poor Choice for Initial Treatment
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The FDA just approved a new therapy for the approximately 4% of patients with NSCLC who have the molecular marker known as an ALK rearrangement. The agent Zykadia (ceritinib), a "second generation" ALK inhibitor that is more effective than Xalkori (crizotinib) in lab models of ALK-positive NSCLC, and the new approval was for Zykadia as first line treatment for ALK-positive lung cancer, a setting where we have historically favored Xalkori since it was approved in 2011. .