Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) announced on Thursday that the U.S. FDA approved an injectable version of its cancer medicine Rybrevant, developed with Halozyme (HALO) as part of a combination regimen for certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
The decision paves the way for patients to receive a more convenient treatment option compared to intravenous Rybrevant and reduces the strain on healthcare resources, the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based pharma giant said.
Specifically, the approval allows the use of Rybrevant Faspro, which is based on Halozyme (HALO) Enhanze drug delivery technology, with the oral cancer therapy Lazcluze as a first-line option for NSCLC patients with a particular genetic mutation.
The decision is supported by J&Jās Phase 3 MARIPOSA study, which showed that Rybrevant, when combined with Lazcluze, reduced the mortality risk in NSCLC patients by a statistically significant effect compared to osimertinib, a cancer drug marketed by AstraZeneca (AZN) as Tagrisso.