Product Launch Tracker: eHCPs are delighted with the approval of Enhertu, for patients with HER2-positive solid tumours.

Throughout April 2024 CREATION.co tracked the global conversations of 1,432 HCPs who posted 2,271 tweets about the launches and approvals of new products.

In April, 196 fewer eHCPs discussed treatment approvals than in March, publishing 6% fewer posts during that time.

On 5 April, the FDA approved Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumours. eHCPs were thrilled about this “agonistic”  approval describing it as “unprecedented” and as a “major milestone in precision medicine”. Dr Joaquim Bellmunt, an oncologist in Boston, stated that “this treatment provides a new option for bladder cancer and other tumour types”. 

Hear ye hear ye!
FDA grants accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki for unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumors | FDA

Her2 3+

👉🔥🎯If it’s a marker, it’s a pan cancer marker: Tissue is not the issue https://t.co/RgOkHNYJ1z

— Razelle Kurzrock, MD (@Dr_R_Kurzrock) April 5, 2024

The @US_FDA grants accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki for unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumors

—-Agonistic approval !@DanaFarber_GU @OncoAlert @ASCO

https://t.co/vO1e808f2J

— Toni Choueiri, MD (@DrChoueiri) April 5, 2024

On 18 April, the FDA approved a new indication for Genentech’s Alecensa (alectinib) for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Most eHCPs were pleased with the approval, calling it “a big deal”. eHCPs such as Dr Rami Manochakian posted enthusiastically about the positive outcomes of the ALINA trial. Dr David Gandara, an oncologist in California, commented that “the advances continue in the oncogene-driven NSCLC space”.

🚨 FDA grants approval for ADJUVANT ALECTINIB in ALK+ve NSCLC post resection.

——-Brief recap———

👉 Stage IB(4cm and above) – IIIA
👉 Adjuvant ALECTINIB (600mg BD) for 2 years
👉No chemotherapy for patients put on ALECTINIB
👉mDFS NR vs 44mo ( HR < 0.0001 )
👉Around 30%… pic.twitter.com/id2CRUPcGg

— Dr. Saadvik Raghuram y (@saadvikdr) April 19, 2024

🚨 FDA grants approval for ADJUVANT ALECTINIB in ALK+ve NSCLC post resection.

——-Brief recap———

👉 Stage IB(4cm and above) – IIIA
👉 Adjuvant ALECTINIB (600mg BD) for 2 years
👉No chemotherapy for patients put on ALECTINIB
👉mDFS NR vs 44mo ( HR < 0.0001 )
👉Around 30%… pic.twitter.com/id2CRUPcGg

— Dr. Saadvik Raghuram y (@saadvikdr) April 19, 2024

On 22 April, more than 40 eHCPs humorously commented on the particular names that tend to be given to oncology drugs after the FDA approved Altor BioScience’s Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) for patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Although, a small number of eHCPs expressed their excitement about the launch. 

Once again I can only assume this is how oncology drugs get their names https://t.co/KYYHORDNg6 pic.twitter.com/6daG2kedU6

— Mark Lewis, MD, FASCO (@marklewismd) April 23, 2024

Today, the @US_FDA approved nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln (Anktiva), an immunostimulatory cytokine, with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Learn more: https://t.co/DXWdhFrS7R

— AACR (@AACR) April 22, 2024

The three most shared stories from eHCPs discussing product launches in April were:

• An FDA press release on the approval of Enhertu, for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumors.
• An OncLive news article on the approval of Anktiva, for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
• An ACC news article on the approval of low-dose colchicine, for atherosclerosis.

Each month, CREATION.co tracks the HCP conversation relating to new product launches.

You can keep up to date with this and a variety of other topics including virtual congress, healthcare changes since the pandemic, product development and therapy area-specific insights within the Tracking section of CREATION Knowledge, or sign up to receive our monthly eJournal with all of our latest HCP insights. 

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Methodology

• CREATION Pinpoint® listened to the discussions amongst online HCPs of pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals between 1 April and 30 April 2024.  

• The data included mentions of drug approvals by the FDA, EMA, NICE, and CHMP, as well as HCPs’ use of the phrase ‘drug approval’ in their tweets.

• Between 1 and 30 April 2024, 1,432 online HCPs worldwide made 2,271 references to new pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals.