2023-06-22 12:21:38
Nine drugs made available globally in ten years, including 8 pioneers of their class. These are the main goals of Janssen Oncology, the specialized division of the pharmaceutical company of the Johnson & Johnson Group which – explains a note released today – only in the first 5 months of 2023, made two new molecules available in Italy – amivantamab and teclistamab – and new therapeutic indications for the treatment of solid and blood tumors. For over 30 years in oncology, to respond to still unmet treatment needs and improve the quality of life of cancer patients, “our pipeline continues to grow and be enriched with increasingly advanced and increasingly personalized therapies – says Alessandra Baldini, medical director of Janssen Italia – and this is made possible by our constant commitment to the research and development of innovative medicines”.
The key role of R&D for Janssen is also demonstrated by the data: in 2022, in fact, total investments worldwide amounted to 10 billion euros, 22% of turnover. Italy is also a protagonist in the company’s scientific research, with 97 clinical studies currently active in our country. “Janssen is a company with a strong tradition in hematology – underlines Baldini -. We have worked hard and long to find effective therapeutic solutions for patients with blood cancer. Starting from the first proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib, now approved by the EMA two decades ago, moving from daratumumab, which is also available in a subcutaneous formulation for faster delivery – continues – to advanced therapies under development.We are committed to changing the story of multiple myeloma with a pipeline of four drugs that allow us to respond to the clinical needs of different patient profiles”.
And again: two bispecific antibodies are being developed for multiple myeloma, for subcutaneous administration and ready for use. The first – continues the note – recently made available in Italy at a non-negotiated price (in the Cnn range) is teclistamab, while the second is talquetamab, soon to arrive in Europe. In the field of advanced therapies, there is the therapy cilta-cel, based on Car-T, today approved in Europe for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in the fourth therapeutic line, for which a request has recently been made the EMA for the authorization for use starting from the second line, given the results of the Carttude-4 study, recently presented at the latest Congresses of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) and the European Hematology Society (Eha).
“Our commitment in this area does not end only in myeloma – observes Baldini – thanks to ibrutinib, the first inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) launched on the market, initially for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and for mantle cell lymphoma and subsequently for macroglobulinemia, we have contributed to changing the treatment of these diseases. For example – he adds – we have led to a significant paradigm shift in the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, replacing therapies hitherto considered standard in the patient with ibrutinib young, i.e. chemotherapy regimens such as FCR (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab)” .
At Asco 2023, the results of studies were also presented in the field of solid tumors, such as lung, prostate and bladder with a “tailor-made” approach based on their needs and characteristics – explains the medical director of Janssen Italia – The precision medicine must be considered within the patient journey starting from the correct diagnosis, through the use of ad hoc molecular tests which allow to identify the specific tumor mutations and thus choose the most correct and effective treatment path, with a consequent saving of resources from our National Health System”. In this area, the following are under development: amivantamab, a bispecific antibody that has recently obtained reimbursement for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer with insertions in exon 20 of the EGFR; niraparib plus abiraterone recently authorized in the EU for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer positive for BRCA1/2 mutations, and erdafitinib, the first target therapy for bladder cancer, approved with an accelerated procedure by the US Medicines Agency (Fda).
“As a Group – Baldini reiterates – we promote a 360-degree approach in the oncological field, supporting patients from the early stages of the disease right through to post-treatment. In fact, we deal with prevention, with numerous information and awareness activities, with pharmacological treatment through Janssen Oncology and with the surgical approach with the aid of the latest generation technologies through Johnson & Johnson MedTech. Furthermore – he concludes – let’s not forget the support to non-profit associations that deal with patients and caregivers also through the Johnson & Johnson Foundation “.
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