Ibtrozi Emerging as New Standard for ROS1-Mutated Lung Cancer

Dr. Geoffrey Liu, a senior scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and professor at the University of Toronto, discussed findings from the phase 2 TRUST-II clinical trial evaluating Ibtrozi (taletrectinib) in patients with ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer and how the drug may address unmet needs for safety and effectiveness.

In an interview with CURE, Liu explained that Ibtrozi is now commercially available in the United States and could be considered the new standard first-line treatment for patients with ROS1-mutated lung cancer. The drug appears to be safer, with fewer side effects and longer-lasting benefits compared with existing options such as Xalkori (crizotinib), Mekinist (trametinib) and Augtyro (repotrectinib).

Importantly, he noted that Ibtrozi also demonstrates strong activity in the brain, in patients who have received chemotherapy and in those who have not, offering broad benefit across patient groups. Liu emphasized that patients with ROS1-mutated lung cancer may benefit from Ibtrozi at different points in their treatment journey — either as the first drug given or as a later option when other treatments stop working.

Transcript

What are the next steps for this agent, and how could this impact future treatment options for this patient population?

For Ibtrozi (taletrectinib), at this point it is commercially available in the U.S., and I would consider it the new standard for first-line treatment. In other words, if you’re newly diagnosed and have never received another oral drug before for ROS1-mutated lung cancer, this should be the drug of choice because it seems to be safer, with fewer side effects, and benefits patients for a longer period of time than the existing drugs available, including Xalkori, Mekinist and Augtyro.

If you have received any of those other drugs in the past, you could also benefit from Ibtrozi right now when those drugs have stopped working. It seems that this drug works not only throughout the whole body but also very well in the brain. It works in patients who have received chemotherapy before, as well as those who haven’t. It appears to work in a wide patient population and benefit patients across the board. I would anticipate that patients with ROS1-mutated lung cancer should benefit from Ibtrozi at some point, either if they are newly diagnosed or if they are on another drug and later need another line of therapy.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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