Product Launch Tracker: oncologists pleased with new options for lymphomas, lung cancer and urothelial cancer

Throughout May 2024 CREATION.co tracked the global conversations of 1,050 HCPs who posted 1,462 tweets about the launches and approvals of new products.

In May, 382 fewer online healthcare professionals (eHCPs) discussed treatment approvals than in April, publishing 36% fewer posts during that time.

On 16 May, HCPs shared news of the FDA’s accelerated approval for Amgen’s tarlatamab for extensive stage small cell lung cancer. Oncologists Christine Lovly and Misty Dawn

Shields said the news was “practice changing” and a “HUGE victory for SCLC”.

➡️ Practice changing + paradigm altering news for small cell #lungcancer!@FDAOncology grants acc. approval to tarlatamab (DLL3 BiTE). ORR 40%, mDOR 9.7mo in pre-treated population. Watch for CRS + ICANS. Much needed advance for SCLC – wow! @OncoAlert https://t.co/VxhLoKh3h5

— Christine Lovly, MD, PhD (@christine_lovly) May 17, 2024

🚨HUGE victory for SCLC!🚨@FDAOncology, under Project Orbis and the FDA Center of Excellence, grants accelerated APPROVAL for tarlatamab (Imdelltra, DLL3 BiTE) @AmgenOncology for relapsed small cell lung cancer after platinum-based therapy! #LCSM @SclcSMASHERS @TheShieldsLab pic.twitter.com/sUnBdeYJqq

— Misty Dawn Shields (@drshieldsmd) May 16, 2024

Besides these clear sentiments in words, there were a pair of exclamation marks from oncologist Aman Chauhan in his post and some select emojis (namely 🚨⭐🔥) from oncologists Rami Manochakian and Vivek Subbiah to show their feelings about the FDA decision. 

On the same day a CAR-T cell therapy, Bristol Myers Squibb’s liso-cel, was approved for follicular lymphoma and later in the month for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma. For the first approval oncologist Alan Skarbnik announced the news saying he was “happy to have another CAR-T option for our patients”. 

Liso-cel approved for Follicular Lymphoma! 🎉🎉🎉
Happy to have another CAR-T option for our patients!https://t.co/8LNE4GtsHu

— Alan Skarbnik (@ASkarbnik) May 15, 2024

Its approval for mantle cell lymphoma was also met warmly as it is “great to have an option with less high-grade CRS and ICANS”, said academic haematologist Ajay Major.

Liso-cel FDA approved today for R/R mantle cell lymphoma! Great to have an option with less high-grade CRS and ICANS. #lymsm #celltherapy #ASCO23https://t.co/sN92kQ4JtX

— Ajay Major, MD, MBA (@majorajay) May 30, 2024

When the European Commission approved Bristol Myers Squibb’s nivolumab in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma two highly followed doctors, Yüksel Ürün, a medical oncologist in Türkiye and Tom Powles, an oncologist in the UK, immediately shared the news with their online network. Their two posts received hundreds of likes, comments and shares, especially Dr Powles’ as he used the opportunity to discuss treatment guidelines.

Gem/cis/nivo is EMA approved.ESMO guidlines gives the same recommend as maintenance avelumab.Most of the OS is coming from the nivo maintenance period but ⬆️RR/CR looks ✅. I can see arguments for both approaches which are SOC while waiting for EVP #ASCO24 https://t.co/zhO3GHnf0W

— Tom Powles (@tompowles1) May 29, 2024

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

• An FDA press release on the accelerated approval of tarlatamab-dlle for extensive stage small cell lung cancer.
• An OncLive news article on the approval of Liso-Cel for R/R Mantle Cell Lymphoma After 2 Lines of Therapy.
• A BMS press release about the European Commission Approval for nivolumab (in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine) for first-line treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma

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. 

To stay up to date, you can sign up to CREATION.co’s monthly eJournal.

Methodology

• CREATION Pinpoint® listened to the discussions amongst online HCPs of pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals between 1 May and 31 May 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 31 May 2024, 1,050 online HCPs worldwide made 1,462 references to new pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals.