Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (TYO: 4502) announced that its lung cancer therapy Alunbrig (brigatinib) has been prescribed in China for the first time, marking its official commercialization and clinical application in the country. The drug was approved in March 2023 to treat anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as a monotherapy.
Market Rollout
Alunbrig is expected to be available in major hospitals across China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shandong, Henan, and Hunan, within a week.
Drug Profile
Alunbrig is a second-generation selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) already approved in the US, Europe, and other markets. Clinical studies have shown that the drug can prolong progression-free survival, control brain metastasis, and improve patients’ quality of life. It is recommended by the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology as a first-line optimal treatment and is included in the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology’s (CSCO) guidelines for NSCLC.
Partnership and Approval
Takeda partnered with Bo’ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE). Alunbrig was approved in August 2021 by the Hainan Medical Products Administration as a clinically urgently needed drug for patients with disease progression after crizotinib in the pilot zone. The drug is also included in the Lecheng global special insurance scheme (2021).-Fineline Info & Tech
