The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7253 p819
14 June 2003

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Novel multitargeted antifolate as good as docetaxel in lung cancer

Pemetrexed, a novel multitargeted antifolate, is as effective as docetaxel (Taxotere) against recurrent non-small cell lung cancer and has a better side effect profile, results from a phase III study suggest.

"Pemetrexed may soon replace docetaxel as the treatment of choice for some patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer," said Dr Nasser Hanna, Indiana University, Indianapolis, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

He reported that patients treated with pemetrexed were just as likely to be alive after a year as patients treated with docetaxel and that there were no significant differences between response rates and stable disease rates for the two drugs. Partial or complete remission was achieved in 9.1 per cent of patients taking pemetrexed and 8.8 per cent of patients taking docetaxel. Statistically, the trial failed to show non-inferiority for pemetrexed in terms of survival. However, Dr Hanna said he was comfortable saying the two drugs were "clinically equivalent".

Fewer patients treated with pemetrexed suffered grade three or four neutropenia (putting them at risk for life-threatening infections). Patients in this treatment group were also less likely to be admitted to hospital or to need granulocyte colony-stimulating hormone.

Commenting on the trial results, Dr Bruce Johnson, Lowe Centre for Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, said: "[Pemetrexed] will likely become an alternative standard for recurrent disease."

A spokesman for Eli Lilly said a license application for pemetrexed will be submitted to the European regulatory authorities later this year.

The Journal attended the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, Illinois, from 31 May until 3 June, courtesy of Eli Lilly. It was attended by more than 25,000 cancer specialists