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GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced today that Votrient (pazopanib) is now available for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and for patients who have previously received cytokine therapy for advanced disease.
Advanced RCC is one of the most treatment resistant malignancies with around nine out of ten patients dying within five years. Votrient has been shown to effectively slow down the progression of advanced RCC, whilst maintaining quality of life (QoL) as shown by the mean change from baseline in QoL scores.
Votrient is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that has a specific kinase affinity profile. It selectively targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR 1,2 & 3), platelet derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR α & β) and c-Kit, but has minimal activity at the Flt-3 receptor.
By selectively targeting these receptors, Votrient both inhibits angiogenesis (thereby slowing tumour growth and the spread of cancer to another part of the body) and may have a different tolerability profile to the other licensed TKIs.
Professor Robert Hawkins, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Christie, Manchester welcomes the EMA conditional licence: “The introduction of targeted therapies such as TKIs has greatly improved outcomes for many patients with renal cancer. I welcome the availability of further effective drugs in this class especially where they have a different side effect profile. Currently used TKIs can produce ongoing side effects as such mucositis and stomatitis which have a profound effect on how patients are able to function day to day. Votrient provides clinicians with a welcome alternative option that may not present the same adverse event burden.”
